{"id":2340780,"date":"2024-09-13T14:22:01","date_gmt":"2024-09-13T18:22:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ne-supreme-court-allows-radical-abortion-amendment-on-ballot\/"},"modified":"2024-09-13T14:29:58","modified_gmt":"2024-09-13T18:29:58","slug":"ne-supreme-court-allows-radical-abortion-amendment-on-ballot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ne-supreme-court-allows-radical-abortion-amendment-on-ballot\/","title":{"rendered":"NE Supreme Court Allows Radical Abortion Amendment On Ballot"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fne-supreme-court-allows-radical-abortion-amendment-on-ballot%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2340780&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Nebraska \u200dSupreme Court has unanimously \u2063ruled that a controversial amendment allowing abortion \u200cup to birth will appear on the November ballot, despite \u2063concerns about\u200d its misleading\u200d language. Currently, abortion in Nebraska is restricted after 12 weeks of gestation. The proposed &#8220;Protect\u2063 the Right to Abortion&#8221; initiative, backed by Planned Parenthood and the ACLU, aims to establish a constitutional right \u2064to abortion at any stage of pregnancy. Critics, including lawyers \u2062from the Thomas More Society, argue \u2063that the amendment&#8217;s vague terms could eliminate existing state\u2062 laws regulating abortion \u2064and impede future pro-life measures. A significant majority of Nebraskans\u201472%\u2014oppose allowing abortion \u2064until birth.\u200d The lawsuit challenging the amendment also claimed it violates the Nebraska Constitution&#8217;s Single Subject Rule, \u200basserting \u200cthat the measure encompasses multiple subjects, thereby \u2062potentially \u200dconfusing\u2063 voters. \u2063Nebraska Secretary \u200cof State\u200d Bob Evnen had initially approved the amendment but delayed its certification pending the court&#8217;s decision.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>A radical amendment that threatens to ram unpopular abortion until birth into the Cornhusker State constitution will make the ballot in November despite its deceptive nature, the Nebraska Supreme Court <a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.prod.website-files.com\/63d954d4e4ad424df7819d46\/66e43fedcebf752072a0139f_N00011380PUB%20(2).pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">unanimously ruled on Friday<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Abortion in Nebraska is prohibited beyond&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/governor.nebraska.gov\/press\/governor-pillen-signs-lb574-law-abortion-ban-takes-effect-immediately\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">12 weeks gestation<\/a>. The &ldquo;Protect the Right to Abortion&rdquo; ballot initiative, funded by&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/protectourrights.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union<\/a>, however, <a href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/Nebraska_Right_to_Abortion_Initiative_(2024)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">seeks to enshrine<\/a> abortion at any point in pregnancy in the state&rsquo;s constitution.<\/p>\n<p>The proposed amendment leaves vague, undefined terms like &ldquo;viability&rdquo; up to the subjective judgment of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/planned-parenthood-spent-271-million-in-federal-funds-between-2016-and-2018-audit-finds\/\" title=\"Planned Parenthood Spent 1 Million in Federal Funds Between 2016 and 2018, Audit Finds\">health care practitioner<\/a>, not necessarily a doctor. As the Thomas More Society lawyers who argued the case <a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.prod.website-files.com\/63d954d4e4ad424df7819d46\/66d9c13c989a843f08f8b83a_Brief%2C%20Relator%20LaGreca%209-5-24%20(1).pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">noted<\/a>, the measure could &ldquo;effectively &hellip; abolish nearly 50 years of legislative enactments,&rdquo; like the state&rsquo;s dismemberment ban and parental consent requirement, and prevent state legislators from enacting pro-life protections in the future.<\/p>\n<p>A majority of Nebraskans,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/sbaprolife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/SBA_NE_Statewide_ProLife_Memo_220105-1.pdf\">72 percent,<\/a> say they <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/abortion-and-pro-life-constitutional-amendments-duel-in-nebraska\/\" title=\"Abortion And Pro-Life Constitutional Amendments Duel In Nebraska\">oppose legalizing abortion<\/a> through birth. The lawsuit heard by the high bench, however, alleged that the ballot measure&rsquo;s language could mislead voters with strong feelings about unlimited abortion to vote against their convictions.<\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit also asked Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen to withhold the proposed amendment from the ballot because it &ldquo;is legally insufficient&rdquo; and violates the Nebraska Constitution&rsquo;s Single Subject Rule mandating &ldquo;[i]nitiative measures shall contain only one subject.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The proposed initiative contains several subjects, which are not natural and necessary to each other, and which will confuse voters and create doubt after the election,&rdquo; a <a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.prod.website-files.com\/63d954d4e4ad424df7819d46\/66d9c13c989a843f08f8b83a_Brief%2C%20Relator%20LaGreca%209-5-24%20(1).pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">brief<\/a> filed by the Thomas More Society warned.<\/p>\n<p>Evnen first approved the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ne-supreme-court-to-weigh-in-on-radical-abortion-amendment\/\" title=\"NE Supreme Court To Weigh In On Radical Abortion Amendment\">unlimited abortion amendment<\/a> and its <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/08\/26\/abortion-and-pro-life-constitutional-amendments-duel-on-nebraska-ballots-this-fall\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pro-life rival<\/a> for the ballot in August but <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/amp\/rcna167980\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">paused<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/sos.nebraska.gov\/elections\/elections-division\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">certification<\/a> until the court made a decision. On Friday, the state supreme court declared that the initiative &ldquo;does not violate the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rep-matt-gaetz-is-about-to-become-a-player-wait-and-see\/\" title=\"Rep. Matt Gaetz Is About To Become A Player \u2014 Wait And See\">single subject rule<\/a>&rdquo; outlined in the Nebraska Constitution.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We determine that the Initiative does not include multiple subjects, and instead we determine that the provisions of the proposed constitutional amendment are naturally and necessarily related to the general subject,&rdquo; the court wrote. <\/p>\n<p>Dr. Catherine Brooks, the neonatologist who brought one of two writs of mandamus against the abortion amendment, said the court&rsquo;s ruling will lead to grave consequences for Nebraska women and children.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Nebraska women and medical professionals should not be subjected to vague, unscientific standards, while dangerously expanding the scope of abortion practice,&rdquo; Brooks <a href=\"https:\/\/nebraskaexaminer.com\/2024\/09\/13\/dueling-abortion-measures-make-ballot-nebraska-supreme-court-decides\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Thomas More Society Senior Counsel Matt Heffron who argued the case, added that the amendment, if passed, will &ldquo;be a sea-change, overturning nearly 50 years of Nebraska laws on abortion.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We are deeply concerned that the Nebraska Supreme Court has allowed this intentionally deceptive initiative to go before Nebraskans for a confusing vote,&rdquo; Heffron said. &ldquo;The &lsquo;Protect Our Rights&rsquo; initiative is a Trojan Horse and would expand abortion throughout pregnancy&nbsp;for nearly any reason &mdash; without any regulation by the State, whatsoever &mdash; while allowing non-physicians to make these determinations.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Jordan Boyd is a staff writer at The Federalist and producer of The Federalist Radio Hour. Her work has also been featured in The Daily Wire, Fox News, and RealClearPolitics. Jordan graduated from Baylor University where she majored in political science and minored in journalism. Follow her on X @jordanboydtx.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A controversial amendment that aims to introduce unrestricted abortion up to birth into the Nebraska state constitution will appear on the ballot in November, despite being deemed misleading, according to a unanimous ruling by the Nebraska Supreme Court on Friday. Currently, abortion is banned in Nebraska after 12 weeks of pregnancy. The &#8220;Protect the Right to Abortion&#8221; initiative, backed by Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union, seeks to guarantee the right to abortion at any stage of pregnancy within the state&#8217;s constitution. <\/p>\n<p>The proposed amendment uses vague terms like &#8220;viability,&#8221; which could be interpreted subjectively by healthcare providers who may not be doctors. Lawyers from the Thomas More Society argued that this measure could effectively eliminate nearly five decades of legislative protections, such as bans on dismemberment and requirements for parental consent, while hindering future pro-life legislation.<\/p>\n<p>Despite 72 percent of Nebraskans opposing legalizing abortion until birth, a lawsuit claimed that the language of this ballot measure could mislead voters who have strong opinions against unlimited abortion into voting contrary to their beliefs. The lawsuit also requested that Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen prevent this amendment from appearing on the ballot due to its alleged legal insufficiency and violation of Nebraska&#8217;s Single Subject Rule.<\/p>\n<p>Evnen had initially approved both this unlimited abortion amendment and a competing pro-life measure for inclusion on the ballot in August but delayed certification pending court review. On Friday, however, the state supreme court ruled that this initiative does not breach the single subject rule outlined in Nebraska&#8217;s Constitution.<\/p>\n<p>The court stated it found no multiple subjects within the initiative; rather it concluded that all provisions are inherently related to its general topic. Dr. Catherine Brooks, a neonatologist who filed one of two writs against this amendment, expressed concern over potential negative impacts for women and children in Nebraska due to vague standards surrounding medical practices related to abortions.<\/p>\n<p>Matt Heffron from Thomas More Society emphasized that if passed, this amendment would drastically change nearly half a century\u2019s worth of existing laws regarding abortion in Nebraska. He voiced deep concern over allowing what he described as an intentionally misleading initiative onto ballots for voters&#8217; consideration\u2014characterizing it as a &#8220;Trojan Horse&#8221; designed to expand access to abortions throughout pregnancy without any regulatory oversight from state authorities while permitting non-physicians significant decision-making power regarding these procedures<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":490,"featured_media":2340781,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Screenshot-2024-09-13-at-10.31.32%E2%80%AFAM-e1726241543382.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[37986,32912,40845,36292],"class_list":["post-2340780","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-abortion-amendment","tag-ballot-measure","tag-ne-supreme-court","tag-reproductive-rights"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Screenshot-2024-09-13-at-10.31.32%E2%80%AFAM-e1726241543382.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2340780","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/490"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2340780"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2340780\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2340781"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2340780"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2340780"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2340780"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}