Republican Nebraska lawmakers approved a bill Friday that will ban most abortions past 12 weeks of pregnancy and restrict gender-affirming surgeries for those 18 or younger, in a rare piece of legislation combining two of the GOP’s top culture war positions.
Hundreds of people descend on the Nebraska Capitol, in Lincoln, on Tuesday, May 16, 2023, to protest ... [+]
The measure passed in a 33-15 party-line vote in Nebraska’s unicameral legislature.
Performing an abortion after 12 weeks of pregnancy will become illegal once the bill becomes law—unless the cause is for rape, incest or medical emergencies.
Gender-affirming surgeries will be banned in addition to puberty blockers and hormone therapy for people 18 or under.
The bill’s abortion provisions will go into effect the day after it is signed by Republican Gov. Jim Pillen, who has promised to sign the bill into law.
The gender-affirming care rules will not go into effect until October 1.
Nebraska joins a growing cohort of GOP-controlled states enacting abortion bans nearly a year after Roe v. Wade—which guaranteed the nationwide right to an abortion—was overturned in a 6-3 decision by the Supreme Court. This week, the South Carolina House passed a six-week abortion ban that awaits a vote from the Republican-controlled state Senate. Fourteen states have enacted total or near-total abortion bans, while five others have bans for 20 weeks of pregnancy or less. Republicans in more than a dozen states have moved to enact restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors.
The abortion component of the bill is amended from a previously proposed abortion ban that fell one vote short of advancing in late April—that bill sought to ban most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.
The American Civil Liberties Union blasted the move Friday evening, tweeting: “Elected officials shouldn't be spending their time and resources making it harder for people to access the health care they need.”
Nebraska Votes to Restrict Abortion and Transgender Care for Minors (New York Times)
Abortion Bans Fail To Pass In Nebraska And South Carolina (Forbes)