skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

NE Legislature Faces One Bill Restricting Two Personal Health Care Decisions

play audio
Play

Monday, May 15, 2023   

This week the Nebraska Legislature will consider a bill containing the two most controversial issues of the 2023 session: restrictions on medical treatment for transgender youths and an abortion ban.

Because a six-week abortion ban, Legislative Bill 626, failed to advance in late April, Sen. Ben Hansen, R-Blair, has added a 12-week abortion ban to Legislative Bill 574, which is a bill sponsored by Sen. Kathleen Kauth, R-Millard, to restrict gender-affirming medical care for transgender youths.

Jane Seu, legal and policy counsel for the ACLU of Nebraska, hopes Nebraskans will think about the effects the bills would have.

"They're both bills that are a huge infringement on bodily autonomy and a huge act of government overreach," Seu argued. "Inserting politicians in medical decisions and medical care, depriving folks of the choice to know what's best between them and their providers."

Kauth's original bill led to weeks of filibustering, protests and letters of opposition signed by hundreds of businesses and nonprofits from inside and outside the state.

Eight states have passed laws banning abortion at 12 weeks or earlier, seven of which have been temporarily or permanently blocked by the courts, as have a number of laws banning health care for trans youth.

Nate Grasz, policy director for the Nebraska Family Alliance, called the addition of a 12-week abortion ban a "big moment" for Nebraska, and said his organization feels hopeful about the bill.

"After the heartbeat bill was unable to advance, it became clear that a 12-week limit is what can be passed to provide greater protections to unborn children at this time," Grasz explained. "That's why we're supportive of this amendment."

Hansen's amendment defines the 12 weeks as starting on the first day of the woman's last menstrual period, making it closer to an 10-week ban.

Seu countered it should not be considered a reasonable "compromise."

"This is still an extreme ban and a real restriction on care," Seu asserted. "And should not be construed as a compromise or an improvement from the total ban that was voted down a couple of weeks ago. "

The next debate on the bill is scheduled for Tuesday.

Disclosure: The ACLU of Nebraska contributes to our fund for reporting on Civil Rights, Criminal Justice, Immigrant Issues, and Social Justice. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021