Nebraska lawmakers plan to consider a bill to protect unborn babies with beating hearts from abortion during a hearing Wednesday at the state Capitol.
News Channel Nebraska predicted that debate about the Nebraska Heartbeat Act (LB 626) will be intense, and pro-abortion Democrat lawmakers likely will try to filibuster. The pro-life bill has 29 co-sponsors in the unicameral legislature. To overcome a filibuster, a bill needs at least 33 votes.
Sponsored by state Sen. Joni Albrecht, R-District 17, the bill would require the abortionist to check for the unborn baby’s heartbeat and prohibit the abortion if the heartbeat is detected, which typically happens by six weeks of pregnancy. Exceptions would be allowed for rape, incest and medical emergencies. Albrecht said her bill does not restrict care for miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies or in vitro fertilization.
“The Nebraska Heartbeat Act is about one thing: protecting babies who have heartbeats from elective abortions,” Albrecht said in a statement. “A heartbeat is a universal sign of life. We also know that abortion stops a beating heart. We envision a Nebraska where EVERY life is celebrated, valued and protected.”
Gov. Jim Pillen, a pro-life Republican, supports the bill, as does Nebraska Right to Life. Pro-life advocates are expected to testify Wednesday as well as abortion activists with the ACLU of Nebraska and other pro-abortion groups.
ACTION ALERT: To support the bill, please Contact Nebraska state lawmakers.
Last year, the Nebraska Legislature narrowly failed to pass pro-life legislation because pro-abortion Democrats filibustered.
This year, Sandy Danek, executive director of Nebraska Right to Life, said they hope lawmakers will increase support for pregnant and parenting mothers as well as ban the killing of unborn babies in abortions.
“Whether that’s going to go, I don’t know,” Danek told the Omaha World Herald in December. “However we are hopeful the legislature will seriously look at support for these women in need.”
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.
Because the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, 14 states now are enforcing pro-life laws that prohibit or strictly limit the killing of unborn babies in abortions, and others are fighting in court to do the same. Pro-life leaders estimate tens of thousands of babies’ lives already have been saved.
Polls consistently show a strong majority of Americans support legal protections for unborn babies, especially after the first trimester or once their heartbeat is detectable.
ACTION ALERT: To support the bill, please Contact Nebraska state lawmakers.
