'Buckets of blood on your hands': Nebraska Democrat slams GOP ahead of anti-trans and anti-abortion bill vote

18 May 2023

Nebraska State Republicans are set to advance legislation targeting both gender-affirming care and abortion access.

Democratic State Senator Machaela Cavanaugh has been voicing her opposition for months against LB574, also known as the Let Them Grow Act, which would ban gender-affirming surgeries under the age of 19.

In addition to banning gender-affirming care, LB574 would also allow "Nebraska's chief medical officer regulatory power over other treatments, including hormone therapy and puberty blockers," KETV reports.

Now, GOP State Senator Ben Hansen has amended that legislation, adding a 12-week abortion ban, according to Omaha's KETV— although, "opponents say the way it's written has it more like a 10-week ban, because the 12 weeks starts from a woman's last period."

The Republican lawmakers voted to advance the anti-trans and anti-abortion legislation earlier this week, prompting Cavanaugh to share her outrage on the Senate floor.

Heartland Signal shared a clip from Cavanaugh's speech, writing, "NE State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh (D) thrashes her GOP colleagues as they merge abortion and gender-affirming care bans into one bill: 'Women will die. Children are dying. It is your fault ... If you vote for this, you will have buckets and buckets of blood on your hands.'"

The senator said, "It looks bad. It looks really, really bad. And Senator Repi. Senator Hansen is not going to repeal the criminal penalties because if he were, he would've tried to get an amendment on here. He would've tried to supplement this amendment with what you were asking for between the time he filed it. And today he's lying to you and he's lying to us."

She continued, "And if you vote for it, you know that you know he's lying to you. Don't assuage your guilt. One minute women will die. Children are dying. It is your fault. It is your fault, and you are allowing it to happen. You do literally have blood on your hands, and if you vote for this, you will have buckets and buckets of blood on your hands. Thank you, Mr. President."

Another Democratic lawmaker, Senator Megan Hunt shared her thoughts, saying, "We all know what's going on with this bill and what you guys have put on to it. Whether we're talking about mothers with devastating fetal diagnoses, who you think should be forced to carry a baby to term that has a brain outside of its head... What is wrong with you?" If you can't go out there and face the people you are harming, hurting today, then you are not worthy of this job."

Cavanaugh's work to filibuster the bill since March has helped to prevent it from passing, but now that the legislation is "one vote away" from reaching Nebraska Republican Governor Jim Pillen's desk, the senator's efforts may not be successful.

Still, the determined lawmaker has previously said she will do anything she can to make life "painful" for her GOP colleagues if they proceed with the bill.

Watch Cavanaugh's address below or at this link.

Click here to view KETV's full report.

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