Governor Jim Pillen will sign LB 574, which includes the Let them Grow Act and the Preborn Child Protection Act, into law on Monday. The new bans on abortion will immediately go into effect due to the emergency clause attached to the Preborn Child Protection Act. The bill bans abortions at 12 weeks gestational age, with exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother. The bill also includes restrictions on transgender care for anyone under 19, with specifics to be determined by the state's chief medical officer.
Nebraska lawmakers have advanced a controversial bill targeting abortion and gender-affirming care to a final vote. The bill bans gender-affirming surgeries for people under the age of 19, and leaves other treatments under the control of Nebraska's chief medical officer. Lawmakers also added on an amendment to ban abortions at 12 weeks. Opponents said it's really 10 weeks, since the ban starts after a woman's last period. The bill is now one vote away from going to the governor's desk.
Nebraska lawmakers voted in favor of State Senator Ben Hansen's amendment to merge abortion and gender-affirming care for minors into Legislative Bill 574. The amendment would add an approximate 12-week abortion ban to the restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors. The bill would prohibit genital or non-genital surgeries, puberty blockers, and hormone therapies before the age of 19. The chief medical officer and Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services would regulate the medications. The bill now moves to the final round, and if passed, it will move to the governor's desk.
Nebraska lawmakers have advanced Legislative Bill 574, which seeks to restrict gender-affirming care for transgender youths, with a 12-week abortion ban amendment. The original bill aimed to ban puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and gender-affirming surgeries for individuals under 19. The amendment narrows the ban to just surgeries and calls on the state’s chief medical officer to establish regulations on puberty blockers and hormone therapy for youths. The bill will need to go through one more round of debate before it goes to Gov. Jim Pillen’s desk to be signed into law.
Nebraska state senator Machaela Cavanaugh has spent the past 10 weeks filibustering every bill brought by the legislature in protest against LB 574, a bill that would block gender-affirming healthcare for young people in the state. Cavanaugh, who is in the minority party, has delayed bills she would otherwise support, and has spent hundreds of hours speaking on the house floor. She believes the bill targets a vulnerable minority population and denies them access to lifesaving healthcare. Cavanaugh and two allies will continue to fight the bill, which could still pass in the remaining 17 days of the session.
A complaint was filed against Nebraska State Senator Megan Hunt alleging a potential conflict of interest on proposed restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors. The complaint argues that Hunt has a stake in LB 574, which would prohibit puberty blockers, hormone therapies, and surgeries for minors. However, multiple lawmakers defended Hunt, stating that the complaint was "out of bounds" and that family members should be off-limits. Hunt and doctors who provide gender-affirming services have said that she does not have a financial stake in the bill.
Students from Central High School and Westside High School in Nebraska walked out to protest against the banning of gender-affirming care for trans individuals under the age of 19. The walkouts drew large crowds, with hundreds showing up to rally in support of their transgender classmates. The students directed their anger towards the Nebraska legislature, which has been debating bills targeting trans youth for weeks. However, they also recognized Nebraska's progressive senators who are in the midst of a filibuster to try and kill LB 574, the bill that would ban gender-affirming care.
Nebraska state senator Machaela Cavanaugh has been filibustering every piece of legislation that has come to the floor over a bill that would ban doctors from providing gender-affirming medical care to minors. The Nebraska Legislature will vote on LB 574 on Thursday. Cavanaugh has vowed to keep filibustering until trans rights are safe.
