Abortion in Nebraska

Abortion in Nebraska is mostly illegal after the 12th week of pregnancy.

On November 6, 2024, the Right to Life amendment passed with 55% majority, putting ban into the Nebraska Constitution for abortions after the first trimester. It includes exceptions for rape, incest, and medical emergency, but allows the legislature to enact restrictions within the first trimester such as the current 12-week ban.

On November 5, 2024, two competing measures will appear on Nebraska ballot about abortion. The Nebraska Right to Abortion Initiative would enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution up until fetal viability, or about the 24th week of pregnancy. The proposal includes exceptions beyond that time for a woman’s life and health. The other would enshrine in the state constitution a ban on elective abortions after the first trimester.[1]

A November 2022 Hart Research poll found that 59% of Nebraskans opposed further abortion restrictions, with 48% strongly opposed, while only 36% supported additional bans, revealing increased support for abortion rights across both rural and urban areas and all congressional districts compared to earlier polling.[2] In a 2014 poll conducted by the Pew Research Center, 50% of Nebraskan adults said that abortion should be legal in all or most cases while 46% said abortion should be illegal in most or all cases.[3] The 2023 American Values Atlas reported that, in their most recent survey, 51% of Nebraskans said that abortion should be legal in all or most cases.[4]

The number of abortion clinics in Nebraska has dropped drastically in recent decades, with eight in 1982, nine in 1992 and three in 2014. There were 2,270 legal abortions in 2014, and 2,004 in 2015.[5]

  1. ^ "Competing measures to expand or limit abortion rights will appear on Nebraska's November ballot". Associated Press. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  2. ^ "New Poll Shows Most Nebraskans Oppose More Abortion Bans | ACLU of Nebraska". www.aclunebraska.org. December 28, 2022. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  3. ^ "Views About Abortion Among Adults in Nebraska". www.pewresearch.org. May 30, 2014. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  4. ^ "Abortion Views in All 50 States: Findings from PRRI's 2023 American Values Atlas | PRRI". PRRI | At the intersection of religion, values, and public life. May 2, 2024. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  5. ^ Roberts-Johnson, Jenifer; Qu, Ming; Cooper, Stanley S.; Hood, Michelle (June 2016). "Nebraska 2015 Statistical Report of Abortions" (PDF). p. 1.