A months-long battle over abortion law in Nebraska ended on Nov. 5 as voters rejected an effort to establish a right to abortion and codified protections for the unborn instead.
Initiative 434, the “Protect Women and Children” amendment, declares that “unborn children shall be protected from abortion in the second and third trimesters” of pregnancy, except in cases involving rape, incest, or medical emergencies. The effect will be a ban on all abortions after 12 weeks’ gestation.
The amendment passed with 55 percent of the vote, winning out over a competing initiative (Initiative 439) that would have established a “fundamental right” to abortion until fetal viability or to protect the mother’s life or health….