'There’s going to be a lawsuit': Nebraska GOP passes ban on gender-affirming healthcare and abortion

19 May 2023

Nebraska GOP lawmakers had joint anti-trans and anti-abortion legislation approved by Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen Friday, officially passing the bill, The Hill reports.

LB547, known as the Let Them Grow Act — which originally only included banning gender-affirming care for those under the age of 19 — now includes a 12-week abortion ban, thanks to GOP State Senator Ben Hansen.

Per The Hill, the GOP lawmakers believe the bill symbolizes "compromise" with their Democratic colleagues.

However, Planned Parenthood Action Fund said in a memo, "A ban is a ban, whether it prohibits abortion after six, 12, or 15 weeks. Any ban that takes away a person's ability to make their own medical decisions is unacceptable."

On Thursday, Democratic Senator Machaela Cavanaugh told the Republican lawmakers if they advance this bill to the governor's desk, "Women will die. Children are dying. It is your fault ... you will have buckets and buckets of blood on your hands."

Cavanaugh fought to filibuster the anti-trans legislation, before it also became anti-abortion, for months.

She said during February debate session, "If this Legislature collectively decides that legislating hate against children is our priority, then I am going to make it painful, painful for everyone, because if you want to inflict pain upon our children, I am going to inflict pain upon this body," adding, "I will burn the session to the ground over this bill."

Democratic Senator Megan Hunt, who is the mother of a transgender child, said to her GOP colleagues Friday, "You should know that there's going to be a lawsuit if you pass this bill, with numerous plaintiffs, and the taxpayers are going to pay for that."

According to The Hill, "if the bill is signed by Pillen, Nebraska will be the 19th state to ban gender-affirming health care for transgender young people and the 20th to restrict access to abortion."

Hunt added, "There are people planning now to leave Nebraska because of this. Me included."

The Hill's full report is available at this link.

From Your Site Articles