LINCOLN, Neb. – Today, Nebraska State Senator Joni Albrecht introduced LB 626, a bill that would ban abortions at around six weeks of pregnancy.
Scout Richters, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Nebraska senior legal & policy counsel, issued this statement in response.
“A vote for this extreme bill is effectively a vote for a ban on all abortions because many Nebraskans do not even know they are pregnant at six weeks, which is only two weeks after a missed period,” Richters said. “This cruel ban would almost entirely take away Nebraskans’ freedom to make decisions about their own bodies, lives and futures. The bottom line here is that decisions about pregnancy are deeply personal, and those decisions belong to Nebraskans — not politicians. We are committed to doing all we can to protect legal access to abortion in Nebraska, and we know that thousands of Nebraskans are with us. Now is the time to show up and speak out.”
The ban was first announced at a press event last week, along with LB 606, a bill that would financially incentivize donations to so-called “pregnancy help organizations,” also sometimes called “crisis pregnancy centers.” These facilities were the subject of a critical 2022 ACLU of Nebraska report that raised concerns about patients receiving misinformation.
State Senators Albrecht, Aguilar, Ballard, Bostelman, Brewer, Briese, Clements, DeKay, Dorn, Dover, Erdman, Geist, Halloran, Hardin, Holdcroft, Hughes, Ibach, Jacobson, Kauth, Linehan, Lippincott, Lowe, McDonnell, Moser, Murman, Riepe, Sanders, Slama, and von Gillern cosponsored LB 626.
The legislation comes just weeks after the release of new polling showing that most Nebraskans oppose state senators enacting more abortion bans.
