LINCOLN (SNR/NRTL) – Julie Schmit-Albin, longtime executive director of Nebraska Right to Life, died Aug. 22 after a prolonged battle with cancer. She was 63.
A funeral Mass was celebrated Aug. 27 in Blessed Sacrament Church. Burial was in Calvary Cemetery. Butherus, Maser and Love Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements. She is survived by her husband John; daughters Molly, Rachel and Annie; son John Squire; step-daughter Tanya Fox-Albin; one grandson; her father Loran Schmit; eight siblings; aunts and uncles; nieces and nephews; cousins. 
“Julie committed her entire career to advancing the pro-life movement, saving preborn lives, and empowering women,” the board of directors said in a statement. “The pro-life laws she worked to enact in Nebraska are a testament to her resolve and legacy. She will be dearly missed by the many people she touched and the generations of pro-life activists she inspired.”
Schmit-Albin served as executive director from 1989 to 2020. She also represented Nebraska on the National Right to Life Board of Directors. During her tenure, she organized local chapters, educational events, legislative activities, and political outreach, including the Nebraska Right to Life PAC Voter Guides, Nebraska State Fair booth, Pro-Life Legislative Day, and the Nebraska Walk for Life. The annual Nebraska Walk for Life event is the largest and longest-running First Amendment demonstration in the state.
Governor Pete Ricketts recently recognized Schmit-Albin’s contributions to the state by awarding her with an honorary admiralship.
“For several decades, Julie was a fierce and courageous champion of human dignity,” he said. “Motivated by a heartfelt compassion for preborn babies, she effectively advocated for public policy that reflects Nebraskans’ pro-life values. As we mourn her loss, we also cherish her legacy. Inspired by her work, we’ll continue to build a culture that values and respects the lives of babies waiting to be born.”
Throughout her career, Schmit-Albin worked with hundreds of lawmakers and policy organizations to enact dozens of life-saving, pro-life laws in the Nebraska Legislature.
Schmit-Albin’s most recent advocacy efforts on LB 814 put an end to dismemberment abortions in Nebraska. She was also involved in the passage of the 2008 Human Cloning Prohibition Act, the 2009 Mother’s Right to See Her Unborn Child Ultrasound Bill, the 2011 Webcam Abortion Ban, and the 2010 Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act—a first of its kind in the nation.
The Nebraska Right to Life Board of Directors unanimously appointed President Sandy Danek interim director. Danek is a longtime member of the board and was elected president in 2010.
Nebraska Right to Life is a state affiliate to the National Right to Life Committee. Its mission is to restore legal protection to innocent human life from fertilization through natural death.
