Groups prepare for abortion fight in Nebraska Legislature

No matter the side, there's a lot of groundwork being laid for the presumed battle.

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Looking at the national picture, it seems that debate about abortion rights will be coming to Nebraska.

That’s the ACLU of Nebraska’s opinion, as they watch the activity in other states. They expect that conversation to begin in the coming weeks.

“We are really encouraging all Nebraskans to reach out to their state senators and let them know that a patient’s health should guide important health decisions, not a politician’s beliefs”, says the ACLU’s legal and policy council, Scout Richters.

Richters says the ACLU is actually hoping to reverse things, by working with Senator Megan Hunt to “try to expand access to reproductive rights, because we want to reiterate that that decision does belong to a patient without political interference.”

They’re doubling down on statewide efforts, no matter what happens in the Supreme Court.

“What’s certain is that the immediate future of Nebraskan’s reproductive rights rests with those 49 state senators”, says Richters.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, there’s great optimism within the Nebraska Family Alliance.

“This season is really an important opportunity for senators in Nebraska to pass pro-life laws to protect the unborn”, says the Nebraska Family Alliance’s policy director, Nate Grasz.

That attitude comes from the trends they’re noticing across the country and at home. “We think this is something that the people of Nebraska have been asking for and senators are ready to tackle”, says Grasz. “We want to see Nebraska be the best state in the entire country for protecting women and children from the harms of abortion.”

The Family Alliance wants people to continue asking, and to tell senators just what they want in the upcoming session.

“It’s going to be really important that people are paying attention and that they’re taking the time to make their voice heard”, says Grasz.