Protect Women and Children Initiative
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.
