Area favors 'Protect Women and Children' vote

LINCOLN, Neb. — While both abortion-related petitions garnered enough signatures statewide to appear on the November election ballot, Southwest Nebraska voters were far more inclined to favor voting the “Protect Women and Children” amendment than the “Protect the Right to Abortion” amendment.

The first would constitutionally limit abortion to the first trimester of pregnancy and let the Legislature pass stricter bans than the current law, which bans abortion after 12 weeks gestational age or about 10 weeks after conception. Critics have said that the version is purposely confusing to persuade signers that it would protect current law when it doesn’t.

The latter would codify a right to abortion in the Nebraska Constitution until fetal viability, as determined by a health care provider. Critics have said it goes too far and would outlaw the state’s current restrictions, including parental notification.

While none of the Southwest Nebraska counties drew enough signatures to reach 5% of registered voters for the Right to Abortion petition, all of them did for the Protect Women and Children petition.

The Nebraska Secretary of State’s office will hold public hearings on these ballot measures in each of Nebraska’s three congressional districts and produce an informational brochure about them. The dates and locations of district hearings will be announced later.


County election offices and the State’s Elections Division are still processing the remaining initiative and referendum petitions: the Nebraska Medical Cannabis Patient Protection Initiative, the Nebraska Medical Cannabis Regulation Initiative, and the Private Education Scholarship Partial Referendum.


The Nebraska Secretary of State’s office must certify the November general election ballot by September 13. All petitions will be processed and announced before that date.