Will Nebraska Enact Abortion Limits After All?

In Nebraska’s 49-member unicameral legislature, it takes 33 votes to overcome a filibuster. At the end of April, the Nebraska Heartbeat Act, legislation that would limit elective abortions to the first six weeks of pregnancy, came up one vote short — 32–15 — after Republican state senator Merv Riepe balked at the six-week limit and announced he was in favor of a twelve-week limit.

Riepe, an 80-year-old Republican in the state’s officially non-partisan legislature, infuriated pro-life advocates, who pointed out that as a candidate, he had filled out a questionnaire in which he checked “yes” in response to the commitment that he would “support legal protection for the life of every pre-born child from the moment of conception, unless the mother’s life is at risk.”

About the Author

John McCormack

John McCormack is a former Washington correspondent for National Review and was a fellow at the National Review Institute.

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In Nebraska’s 49-member unicameral legislature, it takes 33 votes to overcome a filibuster. At the end of April, the Nebraska Heartbeat Act, legislation that would limit elective abortions to the first six weeks of pregnancy, came up one vote short — 32–15 — after Republican state senator Merv Riepe balked at the six-week limit and announced he was in favor of a twelve-week limit.

Riepe, an 80-year-old Republican in the state’s officially non-partisan legislature, infuriated pro-life advocates, who pointed out that as a candidate, he had filled out a questionnaire in which he checked “yes” in response to the commitment that he would “support legal protection for the life of every pre-born child from the moment of conception, unless the mother’s life is at risk.”