The 12-week abortion ban and limitations on gender-affirming care for individuals under 19 were approved by the Nebraska Legislature. The measures have caused divisions among lawmakers, casting doubts on future collaboration. In an effort to secure votes and overcome a filibuster, conservative lawmakers even brought in an unwell colleague.
Abortion restrictions:
- North Carolina implements a 12-week abortion prohibition.
- Following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, several states have enforced restrictions.
- Nebraska previously prohibited abortions after around 20 weeks.
- North Carolina’s new ban includes exceptions for cases of rape, incest, and life-threatening situations.
- Opponents of the bill sought exceptions for fatal fetal anomalies and protections for doctors performing disputed abortions.
Gender-affirming care restrictions:
- Individuals under 19 are prohibited from receiving gender-confirming surgery in North Carolina.
- Limitations are placed on hormone treatments and puberty blockers for minors.
Governor Jim Pillen, a Republican who favors the legislation, intends to endorse it and make it an official law.
Tensions have run high in the Nebraska Capitol since the narrow advancement of the combined measures earlier this week. State Senator Megan Hunt, who revealed in March that her teenage child identifies as transgender, declared her decision to depart the state in reaction to the legislation.
North Carolina likewise implemented a 12-week abortion prohibition, joining other states that have enforced restrictions in the aftermath of the Roe v. Wade decision being overturned last year. Unlike Nebraska, which already prohibited abortions after approximately 20 weeks, the new ban includes exceptions for cases of rape, incest, and life-threatening situations. Opponents of the bill unsuccessfully sought exceptions for fatal fetal anomalies and protections for doctors performing disputed abortions.
In addition to the abortion ban, the bill prohibits individuals under 19 from receiving gender-confirming surgery and places limitations on hormone treatments and puberty blockers for minors.
The regulations regarding these therapies will be established by the state’s chief medical officer, a political appointee who specializes in otolaryngology (ear, nose, and throat). Seventeen states have enacted laws that limit or forbid gender-affirming medical care for minors, while comparable proposals are currently pending the governors’ decisions in Texas and Missouri. Medical professionals and advocacy groups argue that these restrictions further marginalize transgender youth and put their well-being at risk.
Nebraska’s restrictions on gender-affirming care will take effect on October 1, while the abortion ban will be enforced immediately after the governor’s approval. Opponents of both measures have pledged to challenge them in court. During the legislative debate, protesters disrupted proceedings by shouting obscenities and throwing objects from a balcony. The Nebraska State Patrol arrested at least six individuals and cleared the balconies.
Numerous businesses and medical professionals have expressed concerns through letters, warning that these restrictions could drive corporations and doctors out of the state. A letter signed by over 1,200 Nebraska medical professionals described the bill as a direct attack on the state’s medical community.
Senator Kathleen Kauth, the author of the transgender health measure, has referred to the increasing number of children identifying as transgender as a “social contagion.” She argues that the measure aims to protect children from potential regrets, emphasizing that it does not imply hatred towards them.
The transgender health measure prompted an extensive filibuster led by Senator Machaela Cavanaugh and progressive allies, who introduced numerous amendments to bills on the Senate floor, slowing down the legislative process.
The merger of the abortion limits with the transgender health bill led Senator Julie Slama to suggest that conservatives supported the gender-affirming care restrictions as retaliation against Cavanaugh.
Conservatives in Nebraska’s officially nonpartisan Legislature announced their intention to amend the transgender health bill to include abortion restrictions. This unconventional move followed their failure to advance a bill that would have banned abortions after cardiac activity could be detected, usually around six weeks of pregnancy, before many women are aware of their pregnancy.
Critics argue that this last-minute plan creates a new bill without a public hearing, potentially violating a state law requiring amendments to be related to the original bill.
Also, Read: Experts Speak About Addressing Increasing Black Maternal Mortality Rates
