Competing abortion proposals highlight a record number of ballot measures in Nebraska

Nebraska has a record number of petition-initiated measures on the ballot, including two competing ones pertaining to abortion abortion rights. One would enshrine in the state constitution Nebraska’s current 12-week abortion ban, which the Legislature passed in 2023 and which includes exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the pregnant woman. The other would enshrine the right to have an abortion until viability, the standard under Roe that is the point a fetus might survive outside the womb. Some babies can survive with medical help after 21 weeks of gestation. If both measures are approved, the one that gets the most “for” votes would be adopted.