Four ballot initiatives in Nebraska tackle abortion in their own way

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Four petitions focusing on abortion have been circulating around Nebraska the past few months.

In Nebraska, abortion is banned after 12 weeks, with exceptions for sexual assault, incest and medical emergency.

The Protect Our Rights campaign looks to change that.

Its petition would provide a right to abortion under the state constitution.

Mo Neal, a petition circulator for the initiative, said this issue is a matter of health.

“It protects all persons — not just women, not just children,” she said.

In particular, Neal said it protects rape victims and allows women pregnant with fetuses that have “known genetic deformities” to “get the medical care they need.”

She said the reception from voters has been good, but there is more work to do.

“We need more signatures,” Neal said. “If you haven’t signed any of these yet, get out and find a place to sign. Or it doesn’t happen. It’s your vote.”

On the other side, there are three petitions.

The Now Choose Life Initiative would amend the Nebraska Constitution to recognize unborn children as persons under the law.

Then there’s the Human Life Protection Initiative, which would ban all abortions except to save the mother’s life.

Finally, the Protect Women and Children Initiative seeks to put the state’s current abortion restrictions in the constitution.

A petition circulator for this initiative, Walter O’Neal, has a close connection to the issue, saying he was almost aborted.

“We’re all products of the fact that our mamas were pro-life,” he said. “So, mine in particular, because I wasn’t supposed to be here.”

He said the initiative is a compromise on such a divisive topic.

“Let the voters decide between these three initiatives, and hopefully pick the one in the middle that’s going to satisfy the most people,” O’Neal said.

Supporters of each of the petitions have until July 3 to get enough signatures to get the issue on the ballot.