LINCOLN, Neb. – The ACLU of Nebraska is urging state senators to reject a new total abortion ban.
State Senator Joni Albrecht introduced LB933 today. If it took effect, it would ban abortion entirely in Nebraska if the U.S. Constitution and federal law changed to allow it or if the U.S. Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade “in whole or in part.” The legislation mimics other so-called “trigger bans” that would take effect automatically under specific circumstances.
The new bill follows introduction of LB781, a ban that would restrict Nebraskans from accessing abortion care at about six weeks of pregnancy, before many people know they are pregnant.
Scout Richters, legal and policy counsel at the ACLU of Nebraska, said state senators must respect that decisions about abortion care belong to Nebraskans, not the government.
“There’s no daylight between either of the extreme abortion bans that have been introduced in the first few days of the legislative session,” Richters said. “Both seek to ban abortion care before people know they are pregnant and take personal health care decisions away from Nebraskans and their medical providers and place them instead in the heavy hands of the government. Nebraska already has more laws on the books than many other states when it comes to abortion restrictions. State senators need to respect Nebraskans’ rights and listen to the majority of Nebraskans who oppose bans on abortion. It's time for politicians to stop judging and shaming Nebraskans who seek abortion care and instead show empathy as we can’t know someone else’s individual circumstances. Once someone decides to seek abortion care, they should be able to access it without the government interfering.”
The ACLU of Nebraska opposes any interference by politicians in Nebraskans’ reproductive rights and supports efforts to repeal politically motivated and medically unnecessary state restrictions. The Guttmacher Institute, a national reproductive and sexual health research and policy organization, currently categorizes Nebraska as hostile to reproductive rights based on the significant current abortion restrictions in the state.
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