Legislative Session 2023
Passage of LB 574: Protections at 12 Weeks Gestation
Outcome of LB 626: The Nebraska Heartbeat Act
Did you know Nebraska has a statute supporting life. Read Nebraska Revised Statute 28-325.
See how your Nebraska Senators voted on two recent pro-life bills: LB814 (Dismemberment Ban, 2020); LB933 (Trigger Ban, 2022).
NRL assisted in the passage of the following Nebraska pro-life laws:
1991 Parental Notification
Requires at least one parent to be notified before an abortion can be performed on a minor 17 years or younger. A judicial bylaw exists to allow a judge to determine if a minor can seek an abortion without parental knowledge.
1993 Informed Consent
Requireseducation be provided to a person seeking an abortion on fetal development as well as informationon public and private agencies and services available to assist a person through pregnancy, upon childbirth, and while the child is dependent. These agencies/services include adoption agencies and agencies/services available to prevent unintended pregnancies. Over the years, additional educational tools have been added to the bill, such as ultrasound being available to the mother seeking abortion and a 24-hour waiting period once information is received.
1997 Ban on Partial-Birth Abortion
Bans the abortion procedure in which the person performing the abortion partially delivers vaginally a living unborn child before killing the unborn child and completing the delivery. Soon after the law was enacted, abortionist LeRoy Carhart of Bellevue sought a challenge through the courts, citing the law was unconstitutional. It was determined unconstitutional and was later taken to the U.S. Supreme Court, Stenberg vs. Carhart. The court found it to be unconstitutional, as there were no exceptions and would place an undue burden on a woman seeking an abortion. In 2003, Congress addressed the issues of the court, which led to a federal ban on this procedure.
2002 Assault on an Unborn Child Act
A person who commits the offense of assault of an unborn child during the commission of any criminal assault on a pregnant woman and recklessly causes serious bodily injury to her unborn childwould be charged with a Class I misdemeanor.
2004 Homicide of Unborn Child Act
Reclassifies manslaughter of an unborn child and 1st degree assault of an unborn child as a IIA felony. It defines murder of an unborn child in the 1st degree, murder in the second degree, manslaughter and motor vehicle homicide.
2009 Mother’s Right to See Her Unborn Child Ultrasound Law
Ensures a woman about to undergo an abortion has informed consent about the procedure. It stipulates the abortion facility must display the ultrasound screen to the woman, allowing her to determine whether or not she wants to see the screen. The burden will no longer be on the mother in a crisis situation to have to ask to view the screen.
2010 Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act
The first of its kind in the United States, the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act prohibits abortion after 20 weeks gestation except when the mother “has a condition which so complicates her medical condition as to necessitate the abortion of her pregnancy to avert death or to avert serious risk of substantial or irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function or…it is necessary to preserve the life of an unborn child.”
2011 Ban on Webcam Abortions
Extends the standard of care for abortion to provide that every abortion, whether chemical or surgical, is done by a licensed physician physically present in the same room as the pregnant woman or girl. Webcam abortions,which are done over a computer link, does not require a physician to be present at the time the chemical abortion is initiated.
2011 Parental Consent
Requires minors to provide notarized proof of consent from at least one parent or legal guardian before an abortion can be performed, except in certain medical emergencies, or unless the girl can prove her parents are abusive or that she is “sufficiently mature and well-informed” about the risks of abortion as determined by a judge.
2017 Compassionate Care for Medically Challenging Pregnancies Act
Addresses those families who are given a diagnosis of lethal fetal anomalies. It ensures that doctors fully equip women with information on perinatal hospice care at the time of a difficult diagnosis. Parents are made aware of resources and support services to assist in coping with the challenges they face.
2018 Ending Taxpayer Funding of Abortion
Governor Ricketts and the 2018 Legislature, while working with the state budget, ensured that state Title X funding would not be available to those agencies who provided and referred for abortion services.
2018 Non-viable Birth Certificates for Miscarried Children
Provides commemorative certificates to mothers who miscarry prior to the 20th week of pregnancy. It affirms the dignity of life and humanely acknowledges the loss that a mother undergoes through miscarriage.
2019 Abortion Reversal Pill Act
Bolsters the state’s informed consent protections. It requires doctors to direct women to information on how to reverse the abortion pill when the drug isprescribed. The chemical abortion, RU486, is a drug cocktail containing a two-pill process. Research indicates that mifepristone alone (first pill) is not always effective at ending a pregnancy. It provides information for those whomay change their mind and want to continue their pregnancy after taking mifepristone–letting them know it may not be too late.
2019 Ban on Dismemberment Abortion
Bans the use of an abortion process known as Dilation and Evacuation (D&E). The procedure involves slowly dilating a woman’s cervix then removing the unborn baby through dismemberment.
2023 “Preborn Child Protection Act”, an Amendment to
Let Them Grow Act”
This bill offers protections to children at 12 weeks gestation in the state of Nebraska.
2024 Expanding the Nebraska Newborn Safe Haven Act
This law expands the state’s safe haven law to allow infants to be surrendered at police and fire stations. The law now allows parents to call 911 to safely surrender their infant to emergency personnel. The age at which the infant can be surrendered is extended from 30 days old to 3 months old. The law also includes a public awareness campaign.
2024 Create the Nebraska Prenatal Plus Program
This law will cover the cost of prenatal services for at-risk mothers – defined as pregnant women eligible for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance program who are determined to be at risk for negative maternal or infant health outcomes. Prenatal services under the program include nutritional counseling, psychosocial counseling and support, general client education and health promotion, breastfeeding support and targeted case management