I emailed the Judicial Committee ahead of the hearing on three anti-abortion bills in the 2022 Unicameral Legislature.
OPPOSITION to LB 781, LB 933, LB 1086 Greetings, Senator X My name is X in X, District X. I write in opposition to LB 781, the “Heartbeat Act” introduced by Senator Slama. I write in opposition to LB 933 the “Human Life Protection Act” introduced by Senator Albrecht. I write in opposition to LB 1086, Chemical Abortion Safety Protocol Act, introduced by Senator Geist. Outlawing abortion endangers women and is an affront to civil rights, human rights, reproductive rights, bodily autonomy, self-determination, and our basic freedoms. It treats women as second class citizens forbidden from making decisions that affect their health, bodies, and lives. Outlawing abortion means that the state has decided that all women must be subjected to the risk of death should there be complications in the pregnancy. Therefore it does not protect women’s lives. Pregnancy and childbirth is an undertaking that has short-term and long-term risks. When women are not allowed to assess what is best for them and are forced into pregnancies, we are living in a dystopian society that views women as vessels and not autonomous human beings. In Nebraska, rapists have parental rights, so when you take away a woman’s right to an abortion, you are subjecting her to the trauma of possibly co-parenting with her rapist, or relinquishing her child to her rapist. This is cruel and avoidable by allowing women to make the decision they find to be in their best interest (and by preventing rapists to have parental rights). We do not live in a society conducive to pregnancy and child-rearing. We do not have a living wage. We do not have mandatory paid maternity leave. We do not have universal health care. We do not have universal child care. You cannot force women to undergo pregnancies in a society that does not protect them financially. Even if all of these social and governmental ills were addressed, (and they should be) it’s still unethical and wrong to force a woman into a pregnancy. Even if Person A is in need of an organ and Person B is a perfect match, Person B cannot be coerced into providing said organ. Similarly, if Person C has not opted into Organ & Tissue Donation before death, their organs may NOT be harvested once they die. In the same vein, you cannot force a woman to use her body in a way that is against her wishes, even if a embryo/fetus/child will be prevented from developing. The idea of a ‘heartbeat’ has often been misconstrued to promote an agenda. A fetus's heart is not formed until closer to 10 weeks, even if a palpitation is audible closer to 6 weeks when it is still considered an embryo. At any rate, it cannot survive outside the womb until several months have passed, so it is absurd to restrict women from a hugely important decision at such an early stage. Women may not know they are pregnant prior to detection of a ‘heartbeat.’ Scheduling any procedure can take time and appointments may not be available in a timely manner. It requires a woman to be able to change a work schedule (i.e. lose money), find transportation, and rearrange child care. The cruelty of this restriction is intentional and shows no compassion, empathy, or understanding for the real burdens women face. Women choose abortion for a plethora of options, none of which are up for debate. Abortion may even be the best option for protecting women who originally wanted to continue the pregnancy. It is inappropriate and dangerous for uninformed, uninvolved people to make generalized laws that prohibit doctors and health care providers from performing procedures that are in the best interest of their patient. Those who would tell women they cannot terminate a pregnancy are overreaching into realms that do not include them. There is no need to pry into women’s private lives and complicate things that have nothing to do with the unsolicited opinion of a stranger. Laws preventing women from terminating pregnancies are very often shame-based and meant to punish women for having sex. Men escape this scrutiny despite being at least 50% responsible. I am uninterested in the moral beliefs of these people and they are infringing upon my civil liberties with their belief systems. This needs to end. As far as LB 1086, this is yet another method meant to make it harder for women to access abortions. We should be expanding systems of complete sex education, and access to methods of contraception and abortion so that people can safely choose what is best for them. I trust women to make choices for themselves with their chosen medical provider. I know women who have had abortions, women who have given birth, women who have never given birth, women who have struggled with fertility, women who have fostered, or adopted. Some of these women have experienced a variety of those situations. My wish is for all women to have the resources and support they need to make the best choice for themselves without the moral judgments or unnecessary legal restrictions from uninvolved parties. Again, I am in opposition to LB 781, LB 933, and LB 1086. They are needless, cruel, and should be dismissed for their affront to human rights. Vote no to each. Thank you for your time,
X
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