Pro-abortion supporters have launched a ballot initiative in Nebraska to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution.
The coalition, Protect our Rights, submitted the proposed petition to the Nebraska Secretary of State’s office last month, the Associated Press reported. On Wednesday, the state’s elections office released it. It will need 125,000 valid signatures by next summer to get on the 2024 ballot.
“We’re confident in this effort, and we’re energized,” Ashlei Spivey, the founder of I Be Black Girl, one of the pro-abortion organizations in the coalition, told the outlet.
Reportedly, the amendment would declare a fundamental right to abortion until fetal viability. Under the language, the patient’s health care practitioner would determine fetal viability. It would allow abortion under any circumstances to protect the life of the mother.
The coalition includes groups like Planned Parenthood Advocates of Nebraska and the ACLU of Nebraska.
“Nebraska’s law currently allows abortion throughout the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, but that isn’t enough for the abortion industry and activists who are trying to write second- and third-trimester abortions into our constitution. This amendment would allow for abortion until the moment of birth,” Nebraska Right to Life Executive Director Sandy Danek said in a statement. “This ballot measure is not pro-choice, it’s pro-abortion, and it does not reflect the values of Nebraskans.”
Adam Schwend, the Western regional director for SBA Pro-Life America, wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that the amendment would eradicate parents’ rights.
Abortion is legal in Nebraska in the first trimster. That isn't enough for the abortion extremists. This would evicerate the rights of parents and legalize late term abortion.
— Adam Schwend (@apschwend) November 15, 2023
Props to @asanderford for having the integrity to actually release documents he's reporting about. https://t.co/KpWO7Uur2n
“Under this extreme amendment, a girl who is not old enough to get her ears pierced or get a tattoo on her own will be able to obtain an abortion without a parent ever knowing. This evisceration of parental rights is something that will concern every mom and dad in Nebraska. Women and children deserve real compassionate care, not lies from the abortion industry,” Karen Bowling, executive director of Nebraska Family Alliance, said.
Earlier this month, Ohio passed an amendment that enshrined abortion rights in the state constitution and did away with parents’ rights. In an interview with AP, Spivey said “Ohio was definitely a proof point for us.”
“Ohio shows that voters are going to protect their rights,” she added.
“Right out of the gate, those behind this ballot measure are parroting the lies told by pro-abortion activists in Ohio by saying women are dying without this amendment,” Schwend explained. “Their claim that Nebraska does not have an adequate life of the mother provision is completely dishonest. The confusion they’re sowing does not just deceive voters but endangers pregnant women in Nebraska who need to know that state law unequivocally allows for them to receive emergency care.”