LINCOLN (SNR) – Three Nebraska State Senators—Joni Albrecht (LD17), Suzanne Geist (LD25), and Julie Slama (LD1)— hosted a press conference Jan. 24 to discuss three major pieces of pro-life legislation the Nebraska Unicameral will consider during the 2022 legislative session.
The press conference was held in the Rotunda of the State Capitol. Each of the state senators brought legislation seeking to embrace women and abandon abortion.
Sen. Slama opened the press conference, explaining the bills that “we, as pro-life women, are bringing on behalf of the most vulnerable in our state.”
She then introduced LB778—the Heartbeat Act—which would protect preborn humans from abortion when a fetal heartbeat can be detected.
“We know, when we hear that sound (a fetal heartbeat) that we are listening to the rhythm of life in a tiny human being in her earliest moments,” she said. “Abortion stops that beating heart.”
She added, “Whether we protect an unborn child with a beating heart tests whether we have a heart, too.”
Slama said the bill has already received messages of support from Nebraskans.
“The pro-life movement is one of hope, joy, and light.”
Sen. Albrecht then introduced LB933—the Nebraska Human Life Protection Act—which would protect preborn humans from the moment of conception if and when Roe v. Wade is overturned.
“The moment so many Nebraskans have been waiting for may finally be here,” she said, referring to Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a case concerning the legality of Mississippi’s law banning abortion after the 15th week of a pregnancy. The Supreme Court’s ruling is expected in June. If the Supreme Court upholds the law, it will be the first pre-viability prohibition on abortion since Roe v. Wade in 1973 found a legal right to an abortion throughout the entirety of a pregnancy.
Should the court overturn Roe, states would be permitted to write their own laws on the legality of abortion.
Albrecht said there have been 200,000 abortions in Nebraska since Roe v. Wade – 10 percent of the state’s population.
An overturn of Roe, she said, “would finally afford Nebraska and other pro-life states an opportunity to enact laws that would protect all innocent human life.”
Under the act, she said, performing an abortion after Roe is overturned, “would no longer be permitted in Nebraska. We will protect the unborn.”
Albrecht pointed out that the bill provides for a medical emergency to protect the life of a mother. Also, no woman who seeks or obtains an abortion would be prosecuted, only the abortionist.
She added that with Roe, the Supreme Court improperly took this issue away from the state legislature and the people.
“Nebraska is a pro-life state,” she said. “Our laws should reflect our pro-life values.”
Sen. Geist expressed her agreement with her colleagues’ comments and introduced LB1086—the Chemical Abortion Safety Protocol Act.
The bill would address the problem of unsafe chemical abortion practices by prohibiting chemical abortions after 7 weeks of gestation and by adopting regulations to protect the health and welfare of women seeking abortion.
Chemical abortions, she said, make up about 70 percent of abortions in Nebraska, and there currently “is no prescribed standard of care.”
The bill would require the physician to meet with the woman seeking an abortion to establish how far along she is in her pregnancy, and to check for ectopic pregnancy and Rh factor. The bill would also limit the use of the chemicals and prohibit distribution of the drugs in the mail.
“In addition,” she said, “it sets up a much-needed reporting requirement. Currently, there is little to no reporting of chemical abortions or complications in the state of Nebraska.”
The proposed protections for innocent unborn Nebraskans were welcomed by the Catholic Bishops of Nebraska.
“I have been involved in the pro-life movement for much of my life,” said Bishop James Conley of Lincoln, “and I have never been more hopeful about legislation protecting unborn life no longer being a dream but a reality. I am so grateful to Senators Geist, Albrecht, and Slama for their courage and leadership in bringing forth this necessary and timely pro-life legislation. Let us continue to pray for the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down Roe v. Wade, which has caused the death of millions of unborn children and has caused incalculable harm to millions of women.”
