Nebraska solons pass anti-abortion, anti-trans laws

The Nebraska legislature has passed a bill restricting abortions and restricting sexual reassignment treatments for minors and some young adults.

Nebraska acts

Reportage came from Nebraska Public Media and from United Press International. Nebraska’s Senate – actually a one-house legislature – passed Legislative Bill 574, 33-15, on Friday. This bill forbids doctors to perform sexual reassignment surgery on any patient younger than 19. It also orders the State’s chief medical examiner to set restrictions on sexual reassignment hormonal treatments. These include the “puberty blockers” that transgender specialists typically prescribe to prepare a patient for such surgery. State Senator Kathleen Kauth (R-Omahah) introduced the bill.

In addition, Senator Ben Hansen (R-Blair) introduced AM 1685, an amendment to restrict abortions to twelve weeks gestation or less. Current law, according to the NBC News abortion law tracking map, limits abortion at twenty weeks, which NBC calls “legal.” AM 1685 has an emergency clause, meaning it will take full effect the instant Gov. Jim Pillen (R-Neb.) signs it. That emergency clause required the 33 votes, a supermajority in the Senate.

Gov. Pillen issued a statement clearly indicating his eagerness to sign the bill.

All children deserve a chance to grow and live happy, fruitful lives. This includes pre-born boys and girls, and it includes children struggling with their gender identity. These kids deserve the opportunity to grow and explore who they are and want to be, and they can do so without making irreversible decisions that should be made when they are fully grown.

Shortly after debate began, one guest in the balcony, wearing a vest and T shirt bearing several protest messages, started shouting. Because the balconies do not have microphones, few outside the balcony seating could hear what she was saying. But two other guests started throwing litter onto the Senate floor. At that point the presiding officer called for a clearing of the balcony.

When the Senate reconvened, debate continued and closed with the vote.

Implications

After the debate, Senator Kauth spoke to the apparent concern that LB 574 was a “hate” measure.

We certainly don’t hate anyone. The reason we brought forth this bill is because we love kids. And we want them to be happy and healthy adults.

One opponent predicted losses of jobs, business, and population. But Nebraska population data from USAFacts belie that concern. Nebraska’s population rose 7.3 percent from the 2010 Census to the 2020 Census. In year-to-year growth, Nebraska saw its largest population gain during the year 2019. However, the State’s population is getting slightly older, though experts would still consider it young, given the current age distribution. The 2021 “population pyramid” shows a narrower band representing newborns, infants, and toddlers (up to four years old). That could have resulted from adverse effects on fertility by either SARS-CoV-2 or “the vaccines.” The child and reproductive age groups show a clear deficit in females.

A proponent of the bill didn’t bother disputing the predictions of an adverse economic impact – and said he wouldn’t care.

No matter how many conferences choose to go elsewhere or how many doctors threatened to leave, I will never sacrifice the life of an unborn baby for economics, never.

Another opponent said the bill could “ensnare a medical professional who is trying to follow the law.” But she did not say how such “ensnarement” would take place.

Given Nebraska’s location and the status of current abortion law, Nebraska is something of an “abortion tourist trap,” likely to receive “abortion tourists” from the Dakotas. But this law would make Nebraska a “restrictive” State. (Or a “Pending” State if opponents, as they threaten, go to court, and a sympathetic judge enjoins the law.) Then women seeking abortions might “play tourist” in Iowa, Kansas, or Colorado.