In the last session of its 49-member unicameral legislature, Nebraska considered a trigger law which would make abortion illegal in the state if Roe v. Wade was overturned – which the U.S. Supreme Court did in June. But the Nebraska vote was two short of the total needed to overcome a filibuster.
Sandy Danek, president of Nebraska Right to Life, explains last week's election is not over – so neither are hopes for the trigger law.
"We still have two races that are not decided. They're so close that, like in many of the states across the nation, there's an uncertainty because the votes are not completely counted," says Danek. "So, we currently look as though we have 33 votes; that would be filibuster-proof."
But the question is whether all those 33 would support a complete ban on abortion in the Cornhusker State.
"The support would be maybe [for] a heartbeat bill … or it could be that we have to consider exceptions, which is never an area we wish to agree because all life is precious regardless of the circumstances of their conception," says the pro-life spokeswoman. "But all of these things need to be considered based on what these senators will support."
The new governor, Jim Pillen – who walloped his Democratic opponent by more than 20 points on Election Day – has described the need to protect preborn babies as a moral and economic imperative for the state.
