Nebraska Attorney General Halts Abortion Law
Today, Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning effectively halted a law requiring health screenings for women seeking abortions from ever going into effect. LB 594 would have required doctors to screen women to determine if the abortion could cause any negative mental or physical side effects.
LB 594 was signed into law by Gov. Dave Heineman and set to go into effect July 15th. Planned Parenthood of the Heartland filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the law in late June, and district court judge Laurie Smith Camp issued a temporary injunction against the law on July 14th. In her ruling, Judge Camp said that the law placed “substantial, likely insurmountable” obstacles in the way of women seeking abortions in Nebraska.”
“It is evident from the judge’s ruling that LB 594 will ultimately be found unconstitutional,” Bruning’s spokeswoman, Shannon Kingery, said in a news release following Bruning’s decision. “Losing this case would require Nebraska taxpayers to foot the bill for Planned Parenthood’s legal fees.”