Rival abortion groups submit signatures to get proposals on November ballot

July 3, 2024, 11 a.m. ·

Two people wearing matching light blue shirts load boxes into a U-Haul truck.
Protect Our Rights aims to expand abortion access until fetal viability. They said they turned in enough signatures to get their proposal on the November ballot. (Photo courtesy of Protect Our Rights)

Opposing abortion initiatives both got a step closer on Wednesday to being on the November ballot in Nebraska.

The two major groups supporting the initiatives said they shattered the requirement of submitting about 123,000 signatures from 10% of Nebraska’s registered voters.

Protect Our Rights aims to expand abortion rights until fetal viability – usually around 24 weeks of pregnancy – with exceptions for the life and health of the patient. The group said they submitted more than 207,000 signatures with representation from all of Nebraska’s 93 counties.

“We thank every single person who signed,” Ashlei Spivey, who’s involved with Protect Our Rights through her reproductive justice organization, I Be Black Girl, said. “Nebraskans have the chance to take their power back and protect their rights this November.”

Elizabeth Constance, an OB/GYN specializing in reproductive endocrinology and infertility, said she's seen the impact of Nebraska's current 12-week ban on abortions, passed during the 2023 legislative session. It especially affects her patients when they discover lethal fetal anomalies or severe pregnancy complications after the ban has kicked in.

"Testing for some abnormalities isn't possible until 16 to 20 weeks, when abortion services are already impossible with the 12-week ban," she said. "Our work here is not just about securing a line in our state constitution. It's about protecting lives, preserving futures and respecting the professional judgment of healthcare providers."

Meanwhile, the Protect Women & Children group said they collected more than 205,000 signatures from all 93 counties since they launched the campaign in late March.

Their proposal would enshrine Nebraska’s 12-week ban on most abortions while allowing for future restrictions. In a statement, the group said their initiative provides a "sensible alternative that reflects Nebraskan’s commonsense approach to limits on abortion, protects women's health and relationship with their doctors, and preserves parental notification requirements that save lives and protect vulnerable minors.”

“Voters will have a clear choice this election,” Karen Bowling said in a statement. She helped collect signatures as the executive director for Nebraska Family Alliance. “The Protect Women & Children initiative reflects our state’s commitment to provide women real care and support while protecting the lives of precious baby boys and girls.”

A pyramid is made of stacked boxes.
Protect Women & Children aims to enshrine the state's current 12-week ban on most abortions. They said they turned in enough signatures to get their proposal on the November ballot. (Photo courtesy of Karen Bowling, Nebraska Family Alliance)

Protect Women & Children is backed by $1 million in donations from Sen. Pete Ricketts. Thomas and Shawn Peed – members of the family behind Sandhills Global, Piedmontese Beef and the Casa Bovina restaurant in Lincoln – kicked in another $1 million, filings with Nebraska’s Accountability and Disclosure Commission show.

Protect Our Rights is mostly supported by donations from abortion rights groups like Planned Parenthood, Nebraska Appleseed and Women’s Fund of Omaha. They have also received donations from Nebraska residents, according to the group’s commission filings.

The Secretary of State will now verify and count signatures before declaring which petitions qualified for the ballot. The process could take several weeks.

If both proposals make it to the November election and pass, whichever receives the most votes will be adopted into the Nebraska constitution.