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Two abortion amendments will appear on Nebraska ballot
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Two abortion amendments will appear on Nebraska ballot

Nebraska voters will consider two different constitutional amendments regarding abortion this fall. On Friday, the secretary of state’s office is expected to approve both measures, putting them on the ballot.

“If there are no legal challenges, two ballot proposals will be presented in the November general election that appear to be in direct conflict with each other, in what could be the first time in Nebraska history,” Secretary of State Bob Evnen said in a statement.

One proposed amendment, known as “Protect the Right to Abortion,” would amend the state constitution to state that “everyone has a fundamental right to abortion until the fetus is viable, or when necessary to protect the life or health of the pregnant patient.”

The other proposed amendment, called “Protect Women and Children,” would ban abortions in the second and third trimesters except in cases of a medical emergency or when the pregnancy is the result of sexual abuse or incest.

Nebraska law currently prohibits abortion after 12 weeks of pregnancy, except in cases of rape, incest, and saving the mother’s life.

For a ballot proposal to pass in Nebraska, it must receive a majority of the vote and at least 35% of the total votes cast in the election in favor of the proposal. If both amendments pass, the amendment with the most votes wins.

Nebraska became the 10th state this year to approve a ballot measure designed to protect or expand abortion rights, part of a continuing push by reproductive rights advocates after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.

Democrats hope the voting measures will boost turnout in the crucial presidential election.

While Nebraska isn’t competitive at the state level, it awards an electoral college vote to the candidate who wins each of its two congressional districts, so both parties are targeting Nebraska’s swing 2nd District in Omaha. The district is also crucial to the battle for control of the closely divided House, with GOP Rep. Don Bacon running for re-election in a district that President Joe Biden won in 2020.