By Julie Schmit-Albin, Executive Director, Nebraska Right to Life

LB 1103, the Abortion Pain Prevention Act, is wending its way through the Nebraska state legislative process. LB 1103 would ban abortions on unborn babies capable of feeling pain. Medical documentation puts that at 20 weeks gestation and beyond.

Mary Spaulding Balch, NRLC's director of State Legislation, speaking at the Nebraska Right to Life Pro-Life Legislative Day press conference.

It is a huge boost to the bill to have as its main sponsor, the Speaker of the Legislature, Senator Mike Flood. If that weren't enough, Speaker Flood gave LB 1103 his personal priority designation this session. Each senator selects one bill per session to name as their "priority" that they want to see passed and Speaker Flood is so committed to addressing this issue that he picked LB 1103, thus virtually ensuring its passage out of the Judiciary Committee and onto the floor for debate.

A committee hearing was held February 25th which Nebraska Right to Life also designated as Pro-Life Legislative Day. Mary Spaulding Balch, NRLC's director of State Legislation, along with four physicians and a constitutional law expert, all converged on the State Capitol that day. They held well-attended press conference in the Rotunda that morning and presented expert testimony at the hearing in the afternoon.

The bill is expected to come out of committee next week, hopefully with no weakening amendments. Once on the floor it goes through two stages of debate and a final reading phase. Since the legislative session ends April 14th we are confident that LB 1103 will be moving very soon.

Part One
Part Two