Nebraska legislators were unable to pass a six-week heartbeat bill making an abortion illegal if a baby's heartbeat can be detected. That happened after Sen. Merv Riepe, who had co-authored the bill, backtracked and abstained so the necessary votes were not there for passage.
Sandy Danek of Nebraska Right to Life tells AFN a new bill is on the table, a 12-week ban.
“Our supporters are feeling very discouraged,” she advises, “but also feel like it's something.”
The discouragement, she says, comes from abortion 2001 statistics that show 85% of approximately 2,300 abortions happened before 12 weeks.
The strategy behind the 12-week bill is to attach it as an amendment to a bill that bans transgender mutilation and hormone treatments for minors.
“I think it's taking two very critical bills and putting them together, and hoping that all the senators remain strong,” Danek tells AFN.
Some senators will be more likely to vote for the transgender bill because the 12-week amendment is attached to it, she predicts.
The bill and the pro-life amendment could come up for a vote next week.
