Nebraska OKs abortion ban, gender-affirming care limits for minors
LINCOLN, Neb. — Republican Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen signed a bill Monday that bans abortion at 12 weeks of pregnancy and restricts gender-affirming medical care for people younger than 19.
The abortion ban takes effect immediately, while the ban on gender-affirming care takes effect Oct. 1. The hybrid measure ties together restrictions that Republicans have pursued across the U.S.
Pillen called the law “the most significant win for social conservative agenda in over a generation of Nebraska” before he signed the law while holding the 5-day-old daughter of some friends as his two oldest granddaughters stood next to him.
“It’s about protecting our kids and saving babies. Pure and simple,” Pillen said.
Opponents have promised to sue to try and block the law. The head of the American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska, Mindy Rush Chipman, said in a statement that “every option is on the table to undo these regressive measures.”
“The governor’s decision to sign these sweeping restrictions into law betrays a total disregard for Nebraskans’ freedom, health and well-being,” Rush Chipman said. “Just as we have seen in other states, these bans will result in significant harm, most intensely hurting already vulnerable communities.”
Nebraska had not passed a new abortion ban since 2010, when it became the first state to limit the procedure at around 20 weeks of pregnancy. The 12-week ban includes exceptions for rape, incest and to save the life of the mother.
State Sen. Joni Albrecht of Thurston, who pursued even tougher abortion restrictions during the session, wiped away tears as she said she hopes to eventually enact a ban at all stages of pregnancy.
North Carolina also recently passed a 12-week abortion ban, among a slew of restrictions enacted in states after the U.S. Supreme Court last year struck down the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that established a nationwide right to abortion. Fourteen states have approved an abortion ban throughout pregnancy.
Nebraska’s law also will prevent transgender people under 19 from receiving any gender-confirming surgery. It restricts the use of hormone treatments and puberty blockers in minors, putting the state’s chief medical officer — a political appointee who is an ear, nose and throat doctor — in charge of setting the rules for those therapies. In Nebraska, people younger than 19 are considered minors.
Sen. Carper won’t run:
Democratic Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware announced Monday that he will not seek reelection to a fifth term in the U.S. Senate.
Carper’s announcement paves the way for a wideopen contest for the seat he has held since 2001 in heavily-blue Delaware. It also ensures that his unblemished record of never having lost an election during more than four decades in politics remains intact.
Carper, 76, said at a Wilmington news conference that he and his wife, Martha, began talking months ago about what he should do next. The options, according to the former two-term governor, were vying for a record 15th statewide election win or to just “ride off into the sunset and call it day.”
Classified document leak:
The Air Force said Monday it is looking at ways to better control access to classified information, in the wake of revelations that superiors of the Massachusetts Air National Guard member charged with leaking highly classified documents had raised concerns internally about his handling of sensitive data.
Secretary Frank Kendall told reporters that the Air Force needs to better enforce the rules that govern access to classified information based on whether someone with the correct security clearance also has a need to know the information.
“It’s a long-standing tenet that you don’t get to look at something classified unless there’s a legitimate reason for you to look at it,” Kendall said. “Just because you happen to have a certain level of clearance doesn’t mean you get access to all the material at that level. So we’re taking a hard look at some practices around that.”
He said he doesn’t think the service enforced that rule strongly enough.
Justice Department lawyers last week said superiors voiced concerns on multiple occasions about Air Guard member Jack Teixeira’s handling of highly classified information.
Idaho student stabbings:
The suspect in the stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students opted Monday to “stand silent” to murder charges, prompting the judge to enter not guilty pleas on his behalf ahead of a trial in which he could face the death penalty.
The Nov. 13, 2022, killings stunned the rural community of Moscow, Idaho, and prompted many students to leave campus early, switching to remote learning for the remainder of the semester.
Bryan Kohberger, 28, was arrested late last year and charged with burglary and four counts of first-degree murder in connection with the slayings of Madison
Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin at a rental home near the University of Idaho campus.
Kohberger declined to enter pleas in Latah County District Court, with his defense attorney Anne Taylor telling the judge that they were going to “stand silent” at this time. In response, 2nd District Judge John Judge entered not guilty pleas on Kohberger’s behalf.
Missing girl search to resume:
Portuguese police have said they will resume searching for Madeleine McCann, the British toddler who disappeared in the country’s Algarve region in 2007, in the next few days.
Portugal’s Judicial Police released a statement confirming local media reports that they would conduct the search at the request of the German authorities and in the presence of British officials.
Earlier on Monday, police were seen erecting tents and
cordons in an area by the Arade dam, 31 miles from Praia da Luz, where the 3-year-old was last seen.
German climate activists:
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday sharply criticized climate activists as “nutty” for drastic protests such as blocking streets or gluing themselves to famous paintings in museums.
“I think it’s completely nutty to somehow stick yourself to a painting or on the street,” Scholz said during a visit to an elementary school in the town of Kleinmachnow outside of Berlin, German news agency dpa reported.
The chancellor added that he did not think anybody’s opinion on climate change could be changed by such actions but rather that these protests made people angry.
Members of the group Last Generation have repeatedly blocked roads across Germany in an effort to pressure the government to take more drastic action against climate change.