Preborn children will be protected from abortion in Nebraska after 12 weeks gestation, as the state’s law has been upheld by a district court judge.
The Associated Press reported that Lancaster County District Court Judge Lori Maret rejected a lawsuit filed by Planned Parenthood North Central States, attempting to have the law overturned. LB 574, or the ‘Let Them Grow Act,’ was passed by the Nebraska legislature earlier this year, and allowed to remain in effect as the lawsuit was considered.
The law includes exceptions for rape, incest, and medical emergencies.
Planned Parenthood claimed the law violated the Nebraska Constitution, which says legislation must be confined to a single subject; LB 574 also includes restrictions on transgender interventions for minors. The state claimed that, as both were related to “health and welfare, and the powers of the state medical officer,” they are not two separate subjects. Earlier this summer, Judge Maret said she wanted to hear all of the arguments at the same time.
“Why would I want to hear something twice? That doesn’t seem very efficient to me,” she said.
Most abortions, however, take place in the first trimester of pregnancy — in other words, prior to 12 weeks. During this time period, the preborn child is developing rapidly, with the heartbeat present by 16-21 days after fertilization, and brain waves detectable by six weeks. Children in the first trimester are much more than ‘clumps of cells’ — they are amazingly complex. This law will unfortunately not protect them from death by abortion.
Ruth Richardson, CEO of Planned Parenthood North Central States, released a statement saying the abortion giant will continue to fight to have the law overturned.
“This decision is a devastating blow to Nebraskans’ fundamental right to make what should be private decisions between them and their doctors. This abortion ban disproportionately affects people in rural areas, people of color, people with low incomes, and young people, further widening already unacceptable health inequities,” she said. “But, I want to be clear, this is not the end of this fight. We will appeal this decision and, in the meantime, continue to provide abortion before 12 weeks of pregnancy, as permitted by law. Nothing about this setback changes our commitment to standing up for the rights and health of all Nebraskans.
10 weeks from fertilization (12 weeks gestation/LMP)
Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen, meanwhile, applauded the ruling in a statement provided to the Associated Press.
“I am grateful for the court’s thorough decision,” he said. “I was proud to sign into law a measure that protects kids and defends the unborn, and I am pleased that it has been upheld.”
According to polling, the vast majority of Americans believe abortion should be restricted to, at the very least, the first trimester of pregnancy.
