Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts announced on Monday that there will not be a special session on abortion. The decision comes after Speaker of the Legislature Mike Hilgers sent him a letter indicating that 30 senators would support amending Nebraska’s abortion laws to prohibit a 12-week abortion ban.
This is short of the 33 votes needed to pass abortion legislation. “It is deeply saddening that only 30 Nebraska state senators are willing to come back to Lincoln this fall in order to protect innocent life. The proposal to change Nebraska’s state law that prohibits abortions starting at 20 weeks and reduce that to 12 weeks is a measured, reasonable step to protect more preborn babies in our state,” Ricketts says.
“I ask all Nebraskans who are pro-life to look at the list of state senators who signed the letter. If your state senator is on that list, please call or email their office to thank them for their choice to stand with preborn babies. If your state senator is not on the list, please call or email them as well to encourage them to reconsider their decision on this reasonable change to Nebraska’s abortion laws.”
The letter from Speaker Mike Hilgers listing the state senators who supported prohibiting abortions starting at 12 weeks in a special session is available by clicking here.