The Nebraska Supreme Court has ruled that two conflicting constitutional amendments regarding abortion can appear on the state’s ballots this fall. One measure, “Protect the Right to Abortion,” would establish a fundamental right to abortion until fetal viability or to protect the life or health of the pregnant person. The other measure, “Protect Women and Children,” would ban abortions in the second and third trimesters, with exceptions for medical emergencies, rape, or incest. Abortion is currently prohibited in Nebraska after 12 weeks, with exceptions for certain circumstances. The court dismissed arguments that the abortion rights measure violated a rule limiting ballot proposals to one subject.
The Nebraska secretary of state will hold hearings in October on these ballot measures, along with others. Critics of the court’s ruling, including the Thomas More Society, are concerned about the potential confusion for voters. However, supporters of the abortion rights initiative see it as a victory for Nebraskans. Groups like Protect Our Rights believe that the current ban on abortion is harmful and believe that the decision regarding pregnancy and abortion should be left to patients, not politicians.
Nebraska is one of 10 states with abortion-related constitutional amendments on the ballot this year, including conservative-leaning states like Montana, South Dakota, and Florida, as well as more liberal-leaning states like Colorado and New York. Past ballot initiatives have shown that abortion rights advocates tend to fare well in these elections, even in traditionally conservative states like Ohio, Kentucky, and Kansas.
Photo credit
www.nbcnews.com