Abortion rights backers notch win

LINCOLN, Neb. — Abortion rights proponents scored a surprising victory in Nebraska by derailing a bill that would have automatically outlawed abortion if the U.S. Supreme Court ever overturns its 1973 Roe vs. Wade ruling that legalized the procedure throughout the country.

The vote this week frustrated abortion rights opponents, who usually win fights over the issue in the conservative Legislature. More than a dozen other conservative states have passed similar measures, but abortion rights backers in Nebraska managed to block it using a filibuster in the single-chamber Legislature.

The bill’s supporters fell two votes short of the 33 they needed to end the filibuster and force a vote. The 31-15 vote left the proposal essentially dead for the rest of the year, even though a majority of lawmakers supported it. The vote largely fell along party lines.

In 2010, Nebraska became the first state to ban abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy, and the state outlawed a secondtrimester abortion procedure in 2020 despite fervent protests.

The latest bill, however, faced a tougher path because of the current makeup of the Legislature, where Republicans are one seat short of the supermajority needed to overcome filibusters. One Republican and Democrat each crossed party lines, effectively canceling the other’s vote. One Republican and two Democrats were absent.

Opponents assailed the bill as an intrusion on women’s autonomy and vowed not to budge in their opposition.

“In state by state, legislatures are taking a sledgehammer to women’s freedom,” said state Sen. Anna Wishart of Lincoln.