A Nebraska lawmaker today will introduce legislation to ban abortion on unborn babies who have beating hearts.
Today, Nebraska Senator Joni Albrecht unveiled legislation that protects unborn children from abortion when their heartbeat can be detected — typically around 6 weeks. The bill would add Nebraska to the list of 14 states that have abortion bans or heartbeat laws in place protecting babies from abortions.
Governor Jim Pillen wants an abortion ban but the unicameral legislature is potentially one vote short of having the two-thirds necessary to overcome a Democrat filibuster. Pro-life voters need to work hard to lobby members of the Senate to support the bill to overcome this potential.
New polling conducted by WPA Intelligence for Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, Nebraska Catholic Conference, Nebraska Family Alliance and Nebraska Right to Life shows voters strongly support protecting unborn children with beating hearts and their mothers and overwhelmingly reject the extreme position of abortion on demand. The poll surveyed 528 registered voters statewide from December 18-20, 2022.
Key poll findings include:
- 58% of likely voters support a law that would protect unborn children from the moment their heartbeat can be detected and only 34% opposed a heartbeat bill.
- 57% of likely voters are more willing to support a heartbeat bill after they were introduced to the scientific evidence that the presence of a child’s heartbeat in the womb indicates a very high likelihood of survival to childbirth.
- 72% of likely voters reject legislation that would allow abortion on demand until birth.
Nebraska pro-life leaders are welcoming the new polling and voicing their support for heartbeat protections:
“Nebraskans know that a heartbeat means life. Every parent remembers the emotion of hearing their child’s heartbeat for the first time. We proudly support The Nebraska Heartbeat Act because science and the majority of citizens across our state agree that every life should be celebrated, valued, and protected.” – Karen Bowling, Executive Director, Nebraska Family Alliance
LifeNews is on TruthSocial. Please follow us here.
“The Nebraska Heartbeat Act will protect the lives of innocent human life within the womb,” said Sandy Danek, executive director of Nebraska Right to Life. “A discernible heartbeat is the key and universal medical confirmation that life exists, and every heartbeat has a right to live.”
Marion Miner, Associate Director of Pro-Life & Family Policy at the Nebraska Catholic Conference, stated, “A heartbeat is a universal sign of life. That is indisputable, and Nebraskans agree. We are unsurprised and encouraged by the results of this polling, which shows strong public support across the political spectrum for the 2023 Nebraska Heartbeat Act. We envision a Nebraska where every mom and baby without exception is celebrated, valued, and protected. We should all be able to agree on protecting babies with a beating heart.”
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen, the new governor of the state, wants the legislature to pass an aboriton ban. The incoming state official wants to “save as many babies” as posible.
The Cornhusker State is a real possibiltiy to become the next state to protect babies from abortions after the Supreme Court overturned Roe. And when it comes to what lawmakers should do in the next legislative session, Governor Pillen has an easy solution.
“That one’s really, really simple. We’re gonna save as many babies as we possibly can that are growing in moms’ wombs,” he said.
Pillen added: “I can’t be more crystal-clear. I’m gonna work tirelessly with the unicameral to stop the murder of as many babies growing in mothers’ wombs as possible in the state of Nebraska. Period.”
Last year, Nebraska lawmakers narrowly failed to pass an abortion ban, thwarted by a filibuster that requires a two-thirds majority vote to overcome. In November, however, voters elected more pro-life Republicans to the state legislature, and there are a few pro-life Democrats serving, too.
SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser also supports the bill and told LifeNews: “Life is winning in the Dobbs era as momentum grows to protect unborn children from abortion the moment their heartbeat can be detected. Nebraska lawmakers are the first in the nation following the 2022 election to advance legislation to protect unborn babies with beating hearts. This law would mean significant progress to protect the unborn and their mothers in the Cornhusker State, with the potential to save thousands of lives a year.”
She added: “With advances in science, we now know more than ever about the humanity of the developing child in the womb. By six weeks, the baby’s heart is already beating at a rate of approximately 110 beats per minute, easily detectable on an ultrasound. Our polling shows that the more voters know the science, and the more they understand that the Dobbs victory empowered the people and their elected representatives to protect these children in the law, the more they reject pro-abortion extremism. We hope to see this legislation swiftly enacted and that many other states will follow Nebraska’s example.”
Currently, Nebraska allows unborn babies to be aborted for any reason up to 20 weeks. However, some cities have passed ordinances that ban abortions at the local level, including Wallace, Hershey, Brady, Paxton and Arnold.
As LifeNews reported, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, with a 6-3 majority ruling in the Dobbs case that “The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion” — allowing states to ban abortions and protect unborn babies. The high court also ruled 6-3 uphold the Mississippi 15-week abortion ban so states can further limit abortions and to get rid of the false viability standard.
Chief Justice John Roberts technically voted for the judgment but, in his concurring opinion, disagreed with the reasoning and said he wanted to keep abortions legal but with a new standard.
“Abortion presents a profound moral question. The Constitution does not prohibit the citizens of each State from regulating or prohibiting abortion. Roe and Casey arrogated that authority. We now overrule those decisions and return that authority to the people and their elected representatives,” Alito wrote.
“Roe was egregiously wrong from the start. Its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences,” Alito wrote. “And far from bringing about a national settlement of the abortion issue, Roe and Casey have enflamed debate and deepened division.”
Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Stephen Breyer authored a joint dissent condemning the decision as enabling states to enact “draconian” restrictions on women.
Polls show Americans are pro-life on abortion and a new national poll shows 75% of Americans essentially agree with the Supreme Court overturning Roe.
Despite false reports that abortion bans would prevent doctors from treating pregnant women for miscarriages or ectopic pregnancies, pro-life doctors confirm that is not the case. Some 35 states have laws making it clear that miscarriage is not abortion and every state with an abortion ban allows treatment for both.
