By Brendan Pierson
(Reuters) – Competing proposals to amend Nebraska’s constitution, one to guarantee abortion rights and the other to restrict them, can appear on ballots in November’s election, the state’s highest court ruled on Friday.
One proposed amendment, sponsored by a coalition of pro-abortion rights organizations including a Planned Parenthood affiliate, would establish a “fundamental right” to abortion up to fetal viability, and to protect the mother’s life or health after that.
The opposing measure, sponsored by a group of anti-abortion doctors, would prohibit abortion after the first trimester, with exceptions for medical emergencies, rape or incest. That is similar to Nebraska’s existing abortion law.
The pro-abortion rights amendment was challenged by a doctor and by the founder of a facility that houses women facing unplanned pregnancies. The opposing amendment was challenged by a group of practicing and retired doctors.
Both challenges argued that the proposed amendments improperly addressed multiple subjects, since they involved abortion rights under various circumstances, and risked confusing voters. But the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled that both addressed a single subject and were clear.