Nebraska has passed two pieces of ludicrous anti-choice legislation this week. The first bill, which Republican Governor Dave Heineman signed into law on Tuesday, requires doctors to screen women before they have abortions, to make sure they’re not being “pressured” into doing so, as well as to make sure they will not have any physical or mental problems after the abortion. Oh, and it gets worse.
The second bill, also signed into law on Tuesday, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (no, I didn’t make that up) would ban abortions after 20 weeks, citing that after that point, fetuses can feel pain. (They actually managed to find doctors to testify to this fact, although the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has stated it knows of “no legitimate scientific information that supports the statement that a fetus experiences pain.”) Before the bill was passed, Nebraska was one of a handful of states that still permitted late-term abortions without any restrictions.
To write to Governor Heineman, click here.
Map of Nebraska courtesy Merriam-Webster.com
