Two ballot measures will appear on the November 5 ballot which concern the subject of abortion. Initiative 439 is known as the “Right to Abortion Initiative,” and would amend the Nebraska State Constitution, establishing abortion as a right up to the point of “fetal viability”. On the other side of the abortion issue is Initiative 434, also known as the “Protect Women and Children Initiative.” Initiative 434 would amend the Nebraska State Constitution to protect unborn children from abortions after the first trimester of pregnancy, except in cases of medical emergencies, rape and incest. Initiative 434 closely mirrors what State Senators did in 2023 when they passed LB574, which I voted for and continue to support.

Earlier this year a third ballot measure failed to get enough signatures to be placed on the November 5 ballot. That ballot initiative would have amended the Nebraska State Constitution to define a preborn child as a person at each stage of development within the womb; thus, making all abortions illegal. While I agree in principle that an unborn child is a person and that abortion is not a God-given right, I don’t believe the moral pulse of Nebraska is ready to pass such sweeping legislation. The fact that the ballot initiative failed to get enough signatures to appear on the November 5 ballot validates this point.

Overall Nebraska continues to be a Pro-Life state, and that is why we need to pass Initiative 434, the Protect Women and Children Initiative, and put some much-needed limitations on abortions. The language of Initiative 434 has been so carefully worded so as not to prevent the Legislature from passing further restrictions on abortions in the future, but allowing Initiative 439 to pass most certainly would! Because the language of Initiative 439 is so strong and would amend the Nebraska State Constitution by making abortion a fundamental right, it would make it nearly impossible for State Senators in the future to ever put restrictions of any kind on abortions.

This is important when you stop and consider the statistical facts about abortions. For example, 86 percent of all abortions are performed because the unborn child was considered to be an inconvenience. Inconvenience is simply a poor and inexcusable reason to take the life of an innocent child. Moreover, abortions of babies that are conceived in rape represent less than half of one percent, while abortions performed because of incest represent 1/100th of one percent of all abortions. Nationally, almost 900,000 abortions are performed each and every year, so putting the State Legislature in a position where State Senators can no longer debate these issues or consider putting any kind of restrictions whatsoever on abortions is just bad policy and runs counter to common-sense.

Initiative 434, the Protect Women and Children Initiative, is a good fit for Nebraska. While anti-abortion absolutists will continue to complain that Initiative 434 does not prohibit abortions during the first trimester of pregnancy, it would forbid abortions after the 12th week of pregnancy and prevent abortion from becoming a basic right in Nebraska. While the abortion rights activists will continue to complain that Initiative 434 takes away a woman’s and her physician’s decision-making ability in deciding to end a pregnancy, it would allow for a woman and her doctor to make that decision during the first trimester of pregnancy and it would permit State Senators to continue to debate these issues in the Unicameral Legislature in the future. Therefore, Initiative 434 represents the best common-sense solution for Nebraska as well as the best measure to vote for on this year’s ballot. I sincerely hope you will consider voting for Initiative 434 and against Initiative 439.