A bill to immediately ban abortions in the Nebraska if the U-S Supreme Court ever overturns the 1973 Roe v Wade decision legalizing the procedure fell victim to a filibuster on Wednesday.
Backers fell 2 votes short of invoking cloture to end debate and move to a vote on LB 933. It takes 33 votes for cloture and the margin was 31-15, likely killing the bill for this year and keeping Nebraska from being the 14th state with a so-called trigger law.
LB 933 was brought to the floor through a seldom-used “pull motion” after it became stuck in the Judiciary Committee, where the members were split 4-4.
Supporters argued it would ensure Nebraska is among the first states to outlaw abortion if the court overturns Roe v. Wade while opponents called it an intrusion on a woman’s ability to make personal medical decisions.
The 8 hours of debate was often emotional and personal as senators told stories about their decisions on abortions in their lives, their religious beliefs, troubled pregnancies, and attempts to adopt.
The bill had no penalties for women getting abortions but doctors who performed them could have faced felony charges.
That led 150 Nebraska physicians to sign an online petition opposing the bill. The Nebraska Medical Association and the Nebraska Pharmacists Association both opposed the measure.
Past surveys have shown that while a majority of Nebraskans oppose abortion, an even bigger majority oppose a total ban.
The ACLU of Nebraska released a poll of 500 registered voters Wednesday that showed 55% opposed a total ban with just 40% in favor of one.
No matter how bad things are or will get in this world, Abortion is never the answer. Even through an unwanted pregnancy or even Rape, God allowed that baby to form in their mothers womb. I myself can attest to this. My mom died in Childbirth, and I could have easily have been aborted and erased from this earth. Even though I have had my share of trials in life, I am glad that the people who took care of me made the decision for me to live. Yes, it may be hard for the mother especially in cases of rape, but who are we to take the life of a child. A child who wants to be born, who wants to experience life, regardless of how he/she came to be in this life. Disabled, Able Bodied, Smart, or Learning Difficulties, I pray that the people of Nebraska make the right choice. May God bless you all this lent.
The only thing the Nebraska Legislature is truly interested in is “being first” to make women second class citizens who seemingly don’t have the ability to make their own life choices.