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LINCOLN - Two bills to tighten regulations on abortions in Nebraska advanced out of the Judiciary Committee Wednesday.
One would break new legal ground by banning almost all abortions after a fetus is capable of feeling pain. Legislative Bill 1103 would prohibit abortions at 20 weeks following fertilization. The bill, introduced by Speaker of the Legislature Mike Flood of Norfolk, would draw the legal line a couple of weeks earlier than existing state law.
By traditional methods of dating pregnancies, that would be the equivalent of 22 weeks to 23 weeks gestational age.
Current state law bans abortions after a fetus reaches viability, which typically occurs at 23 weeks to 24 weeks of gestational age.
Committee members voted 5-3 to advance the bill, despite some members' warnings that the measure was unconstitutional.
The committee also advanced Legislative Bill 594, introduced by Sen. Cap Dierks of Ewing, on a 6-0 vote with two members not voting.
The measure would strengthen requirements for abortion providers to evaluate and inform women seeking abortions of all potential risks of the procedure. The evaluation would have to include an assessment of whether women were feeling pressured to have an abortion.
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