In Nebraska, Nebraska Right to Life is urging state legislators to defend a 12-week ban on abortions, which was passed in the most recent legislative session.
Sandy Danek, of Nebraska Right to Life, says state Senator Merv Riepe has introduced a bill to allow an exception if the unborn child is handicapped. Sen. Riepe, a Republican, lost the endorsement of the pro-life group after defeating a heartbeat bill.
“I don't think it's even going to go anywhere,” Danek says, “but it is rather disturbing that the very person who halted the Nebraska Heartbeat Act from coming into law is now coming back and wanting to strike even further at our 12-week protection.”
Ballot measures coming in Missouri, Arkansas
Pro-life activists in Missouri are watching abortion supporters push a constitutional amendment for voters to approve in November. If it passes, Missouri would follow other red states where abortion supporters celebrated a political victory after convincing voters to enshrine abortion as a basic right in the state constitution.
A coalition of well-funded abortion groups, collectively called Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, submitted 11 different measures for the state ballot but eventually decided on one of them, according to a NBC News story.
The abortion group is now collecting signatures ahead of a May deadline to qualify for the ballot.
Susan Klein, of Missouri Right to Life, tells AFN what they are really trying to do is take away the freedom of parents to protect their children.
“They are trying to take away the freedom for somebody who's harmed in an abortion to be able to sue and have some kind of recourse against an abortionist who hurts a woman,” she says.
In Arkansas, like Missouri, abortion supporters have begun gathering signatures to put a ballot measure in front of voters in November.
Jerry Cox, of the Family Council, calls the abortion amendment dangerous because, for example, it would allow minors to undergo an abortion without parental approval.
“Just imagine if you were a parent of a 14-year-old and she sneaked off and got an abortion. They wouldn't have to tell you,” he says. “You might get the bill in the mail but that's the first you would know about it.”
The abortion group pushing for the measure is known as Arkansans for Limited Government.
That ballot measure, if approved, is called Arkansas Abortion Amendment of 2024. If approved, it would allow abortion through 18 weeks of pregnancy and also includes numerous exceptions permitting abortion, too.
“When you read the rest of the amendment,” Cox warns, “it says if a doctor thinks that an abortion is necessary past 18 weeks, then you can do it all up until labor has begun.”
