Planned Parenthood transfers women to out-of-state clinics as Nebraska abortion ban begins
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Because of the new 12-week abortion ban, Planned Parenthood in Lincoln has had to transfer people who had appointments to new states.
“The emergency clause doesn’t allow us time to spend a whole lot of energy and time on how to implement this law and how to ease patients into this new reality in Nebraska,” said Andi Curry Grubb, the executive director of Nebraska’s Planned Parenthood.
On Monday, Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen signed a ban that takes effect on Tuesday.
The Preborn Child Protection Act and bans abortions 12 weeks after the first day of a woman’s last menstrual period.
The previous cutoff in Nebraska was 20 weeks.
Supporters of the amendment say 12 weeks isn’t enough.
“We do know that statistics tell us that 85% of abortions, upward of 90%, are performed before 12 weeks,” said Sandy Danek, executive director of Nebraska Right to Life. “So it’s necessary for us to continue the effort of offering greater protections.”
The amendment includes exceptions for rape, incest and medical emergencies.
SEE ALSO: Nebraska Legislature passes abortion, gender-affirming surgery bans
But one of Curry Grubb’s main concerns is that is does not have exceptions for fetal abnormalities, which are not normally detected until 12 to 20 weeks of pregnancy.
“Essentially, what this bill is doing, is it’s not leaving any window for someone with a fetal anomaly diagnosis to actually receive abortion care in the state,” she said. “It’s heartbreaking that we have to tell patients that we cannot receive their health care here in Nebraska anymore.”
Since the bill was passed last Friday, Curry Grubb said Planned Parenthood has had many conversations about how to best help the people who had appointments for abortions that will now be past the 12-week ban.
She said they’ve had to help a few patients reschedule and transfer them to another nearby state for an abortion.
And she said in the future, Planned Parenthood will be fighting to remove these bans.
“We don’t think that any restrictions on abortion are acceptable,” Curry Grubb said. “Folks should be given the ability to make the decisions that are best for them and their lives and their families and all of those things.”
But Danek said Right to Life will continue to push for stricter laws to protect unborn children.
“We have been fighting this battle for more than 50 years,” Danek said. “People understand that this is a stepping stone that gets us closer to the goal. But we will remain in the fight until we see all life protected.”
