Pro-life Nebraskans prepare for dueling abortion measures on November ballot

Nebraska voters need to be educated, engaged and prayerful as they weigh two competing ballot initiatives on abortion this fall, the Nebraska Catholic Conference (NCC) said.

Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen announced Aug. 23 that both ballot initiatives had gained enough signatures to qualify for the Nov. 5 ballot.

Both measures would amend the State Constitution.

The Protect the Right to Abortion referendum would enshrine abortion as a right and erase decades of laws protecting mothers and children in the womb.

The Protect Women & Children initiative, organized by a group of medical professionals, was offered as a pro-life alternative.

The Protect Women & Children option would constitutionally protect babies in the womb during the second and third trimesters, as well as allow the Legislature to pass laws to further protect infants during the first trimester.

The measure would leave alone existing protections for women and babies from abortion.

The state’s three bishops – Archbishop George J. Lucas, Bishop James D. Conley of Lincoln and Bishop Joseph Hanefeldt of Grand Island – have said the Protect Women & Children initiative is an imperfect but effective alternative to the intrinsically evil pro-abortion option.

Voters can morally support the incremental protections, they said. The proposal would not create any right to abortion in the Nebraska Constitution.

The pro-abortion plan would wipe out 50 years of health and safety protections for mothers and babies and would allow teens to access abortion without their parents’ knowledge, Tom Venzor, executive director of the Nebraska Catholic Conference (NCC), has said.

More recently, in response to Evnen’s Aug. 23 announcement, Venzor said: “It is critical for Catholics to be educated on the two abortion-related ballot efforts, and engage in the indispensable work of talking to family, friends, fellow parishioners and other community members.”

“Continue to pray and fast for the defeat of the pro-abortion ballot measure!” he urged pro-life advocates.

If both initiatives meet the remaining legal criteria to qualify for the ballot, Nebraska would be the first state to have dueling abortion referendums.

Competing referendums on any issue would appear to be novel for the state. “As far as the Nebraska Secretary of State’s office is aware, Nebraska has never before had two conflicting petition efforts make the same ballot,” Evnen said.

A petition to amend the State Constitution needs valid signatures from at least 10% of registered voters in Nebraska and at least 5% of registered voters in 38 counties.

While both sides met the necessary 110% threshold of signatures from registered voters (about 136,000), the pro-life drive secured the signatures in more than twice as many counties and in half of the time as its pro-abortion counterpart, Venzor noted.

“This is a testament to the dedication and tireless efforts of thousands of pro-life advocates who helped collect signatures across Nebraska,” he said.

The Secretary of State’s Office will continue reviewing proposed ballot initiatives, including those unrelated to abortion. Those that qualify for the ballot will then be given ballot numbers.

The office will also host public hearings on ballot measures at locations across the state.

The NCC is urging people to help secure a pro-life victory this fall by having conversations with others and sharing the truth about the ballot measures.

The organization offers tips and resources to discuss the dangers of the extreme abortion proposal and to share the pro-life alternative.

“This will be a tireless labor of love from now until Election Day,” Venzor said, “but with God’s grace it can be done.”

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