Draft:Nebraska Right to Abortion Initiative
Nebraska Right to Abortion Initiative (2024)
[edit]The Nebraska Right to Abortion Initiative is a proposed constitutional amendment that will appear on the November 5, 2024 ballot in Nebraska. If passed, it would amend the Nebraska Constitution to establish a right to abortion until fetal viability.[1]
Background
[edit]In May 2023, Nebraska enacted a law banning most abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy, with exceptions for cases of rape, incest, and to save the life of the pregnant person.[2] This law replaced the previous 20-week abortion ban.[3]
In response to the 2023 restriction, Nebraska citizens began a petition drive to place a constitutional amendment on the 2024 ballot that would protect abortion rights in Nebraska.
Ballot measure
[edit]Text
[edit]The proposed amendment would add the following text to Article I of the Nebraska Constitution[4]:
"All persons shall have a fundamental right to abortion until fetal viability, or when needed to protect the life or health of the pregnant patient, without interference from the state or its political subdivisions. Fetal viability means the point in pregnancy when, in the professional judgment of the patient's treating health care practitioner, there is a significant likelihood of the fetus' sustained survival outside the uterus without the application of extraordinary medical measures."
See also