- Nebraska passes new bill that includes a 12-week abortion ban and a restriction of gender-affirming care for those aged 19 and below
- The vote comes after several weeks of contentious debate between lawmakers in the state
- The two issues have essentially divided lawmakers across the United States in the last few months
Nebraska lawmakers passed legislation including a 12-week abortion ban and a restriction of gender-affirming care for people aged 19 and below.
The vote on Friday comes after several weeks of clamorous debate regarding abortion and medical care meant for transgender youth. These have divided state legislators across the United States for the past few months.
Nebraska Passes New Controversial Bill
In the final days of the legislative session, conservative lawmakers put the two pieces of legislation together into one bill. This was done for practicality as the proponents of the restrictions were running out of time to pass them through one by one before the session ended, as per the New York Times.
The bill that includes restrictions on the two issues is known as LB 574 and was passed by lawmakers with a 33-15 vote. It had looser rules than the original provisions that GOP members sought to pass when they were left alone.
Republican lawmakers saw the merger of the two restrictions as a compromise, while Democratic officials expressed their opposition to what they saw as a last-minute scramble to revive restrictions on abortion in the state.
Only a few minutes after the vote on the bill, legislation opponents gathered outside the chamber and chanted "shame!" as seen on video footage. Initially, Republicans in Nebraska wanted to ban most abortions after six weeks of a woman's pregnancy. Still, that attempt failed, forcing them to amend their proposal to 12 weeks of pregnancy.
Abortion Ban and Restriction of Gender-Affirming Care
The bill was initially introduced as the "Let Them Grow Act," which at first sought to bar healthcare providers from performing gender transition surgeries as well as restrict access to puberty-blocking medication and hormone treatments for anyone in Nebraska who was 19 years old and younger, according to CNN.
In a statement, Republican Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen said following the bill's passage that kids are the future. He argued that the advancement of the legislation was a critical step in protecting that particular future. Pillen said he looked forward to signing the bill into law once it arrived at his office.
While the bill bans abortion for 12 weeks of pregnancy, it also sets up exceptions for sexual assault, incest, and medical emergencies. Despite having these in place, the legislation did not specifically define what construes a "medical emergency."
One of the bill's authors, Sen. Kathleen Kauth, said that the legislation was not motivated by hate and was only designed to protect transgender youth. She argued it was meant to delay "irreversible, experimental medications and surgeries."
On the other hand, Sen. Tom Briese said that the bill was only working to protect innocent lives, saying it was a "reasonable" compromise. However, Democratic Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh echoed her colleagues when she said that Republicans were playing political games with the lives of children and parents, said the Washington Post.
