A ballot initiative campaign that aims to protect the right to legal abortion access in Nebraska will officially kickoff on Thursday. Organizers with Protect Our Rights could be on the streets of Nebraska collecting signatures for reproductive rights by next week.
The goal is to collect 125,000 signatures in 36 counties by next summer in order to get the issues of protecting abortion rights on the November ballot. Organizers say the object of the petition drive is to amend the Nebraska Constitution to provide all persons the fundamental right to abortion without interference from the state or its political subdivisions until fetal viability.
Fetal viability is defined as the point in pregnancy where there is a significant likelihood of the fetus’ sustained survival outside the uterus without the application of extraordinary medical measures or when needed to protect the life or health of the pregnant patient.
“Unlike the state officials working to totally ban abortion, we’re elevating the voices and lived experiences of Nebraskans who believe that pregnant people should be able to access needed care with compassion and privacy, free from political interference,” says Ashlei Spivey, a member of Protect Our Rights’ executive committee.
Opponents of the petition, including Nebraska Right to Life executive director Sandy Danek, say the ballot measure does not reflect the values of Nebraskans. “Nebraska’s law currently allows abortion throughout the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, but that isn’t enough for the abortion industry and activists who are trying to write second- and third-trimester abortions into our constitution. This amendment would allow for abortion until the moment of birth.”