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Anti-abortion bills fail in GOP-controlled Nebraska and South Carolina
Washington
CNN
—
Measures that would have severely restricted abortion failed Thursday in Nebraska and South Carolina, which both have Republican-controlled legislatures, a reflection of the growing unease among Republicans over the political popularity of strict bans.
In Nebraska, a “Heartbeat Act” would have banned most abortions after six weeks except in cases of rape or incest or to preserve the life of the mother once a “fetal heartbeat” was detected, but it stalled in the legislature. A vote to overcome a filibuster of the bill failed by a vote of 32-15, with two senators abstaining, including Republican state Sen. Merv Riepe – leaving the measure one vote shy of the two-thirds majority needed for full consideration. Riepe, a cosigner to the bill, had proposed an amendment to move the ban to 12 weeks instead of six weeks, but his amendment did not receive a vote Thursday.
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen, a Republican, said he was “profoundly disappointed” in the vote and called for the bill to be reconsidered.
“It is unacceptable for senators to be present not voting on such a momentous vote,” Pillen said in a statement on Thursday. “I call on Senator Merv Riepe to make a motion to reconsider and stand by the commitments to life he has made in the past.”
In Nebraska, a “Heartbeat Act” would have banned most abortions after six weeks except in cases of rape or incest or to preserve the life of the mother once a “fetal heartbeat” was detected, but it stalled in the legislature. A vote to overcome a filibuster of the bill failed by a vote of 32-15, with two senators abstaining, including Republican state Sen. Merv Riepe – leaving the measure one vote shy of the two-thirds majority needed for full consideration. Riepe, a cosigner to the bill, had proposed an amendment to move the ban to 12 weeks instead of six weeks, but his amendment did not receive a vote Thursday.
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen, a Republican, said he was “profoundly disappointed” in the vote and called for the bill to be reconsidered.
“It is unacceptable for senators to be present not voting on such a momentous vote,” Pillen said in a statement on Thursday. “I call on Senator Merv Riepe to make a motion to reconsider and stand by the commitments to life he has made in the past.”
https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/28/politics/abortion-bills-fail-nebraska-south-carolina/index.html
