Nebraska voters opt to keep 12-week abortion ban in place

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Voters line up to cast their ballots at Dundee Elementary School in Omaha, Neb., on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. / FR172075 AP

OMAHA, Neb. — Nebraska voters chose to back the state’s 12-week abortion ban over a competing proposal to allow abortion until fetal viability, according to a call by the Associated Press.

The ballot measure banning abortions in the second and third trimesters, with some exceptions, is bound for the state constitution. It also allows lawmakers to further restrict abortion access.

Nebraska was one of 10 states where abortion was on the ballot this election. But it was the only state where voters faced two competing proposals. While voters passed the amendment for the 12-week ban, they defeated the one allowing abortion to fetal viability, according to the Associated Press.

As in other states, abortion rights supporters had mobilized to put the viability question on the ballot in response to the U.S. Supreme Court overturning the federal right to abortion in 2022. They argued abortion is a private choice for pregnant people and their families - not one for the government to make.

The opposing effort to keep Nebraska’s 12-week ban in place – while allowing for more restrictions in the future – sprang up in response to the fetal viability initiative. 

Its supporters argued it would give voters a choice on the ballot and provide a “commonsense approach.” Nebraska Republican U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts and his mother, Marlene Ricketts, donated more than $5 million to the campaign. 

Elizabeth Rembert reports for Nebraska Public Media.