LINCOLN, Neb. (Nebraska Examiner) – The number of abortions performed in Nebraska rose 7.8% in 2025 as the dust begins to settle on some of the state’s — and neighboring states’ — newer abortion restrictions.

According to data from the state Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), at least 2,698 abortions were performed in Nebraska in 2025. That’s 197 more than 2024’s total of 2,501 abortions in one year.

Nebraska’s abortion rate has remained relatively consistent over the last two decades, between 1,900 and 2,800 procedures performed each year. However, 2,698 is the highest the state has reached since 2008, and is the third year in a row that the number of abortions performed has increased from the previous year.

The steady increase coincides with increased abortion restrictions being implemented in Nebraska and throughout the nation in the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022.

In 2023, the Nebraska Legislature passed legislation restricting access to abortion from the previous 20 weeks, to 12 weeks gestation. The following year, voters approved language added to the state Constitution that bans most abortions after the first trimester.

Andi Curry Grubb, executive director of Planned Parenthood North Central States (PPNCS), said this tracks with what Planned Parenthood officials have been seeing throughout the Midwest. Though she didn’t have exact numbers for the first half of 2026, she said the pace seems to be consistent with what she saw in 2025.

Notably, the number of abortions performed on Nebraska residents actually dropped from 2,054 in 2024 to 1,968 in 2025. The overall increase comes from an influx of out-of-state patients traveling to Nebraska for abortions, most of them from Iowa.

In 2023, the Iowa Legislature approved legislation banning abortion after cardiac activity is detected, around six weeks gestation. The law went into effect in June 2024.

Giselle Barajas, senior communications specialist for PPNCS, said Planned Parenthood has seen a 220% increase in Iowa patients coming to Nebraska between 2023 and 2025. The number nearly doubled between the last year of data, growing from 358 Iowans reported in 2024 to 635 in 2025.

Nate Grasz, executive director of the Nebraska Family Alliance — a lobbying group that has supported increased abortion restrictions — said the increase in Iowa patients correlates to the state’s stricter abortion laws.

“We haven’t made as much progress,” Grasz said of Nebraska’s abortion policies.

Grasz noted there are fewer places in Iowa for people to seek abortions, saying that Planned Parenthood had closed some of its clinics. Barajas said Planned Parenthood does plan to close its Iowa City Health Center at the end of the month, but noted they still have a facility in Des Moines in operation.

Grasz said there are still serious gaps in Nebraska’s laws regarding abortion. He described the DHHS statistics as a “tragic report,” saying that every one of the 2,698 abortions reported represents a baby that went unprotected and a woman who went unaided.

Grasz highlighted that medication-induced abortions also are on the rise in Nebraska, according to the report. Medication abortions made up 83% of all abortions performed in 2025, compared to about 80% in 2024.

Grasz said Legislative Bill 512, proposed by State Sen. Rick Holdcroft of Bellevue, would have been an important piece of ensuring the safety of medication abortions. The bill would have imposed additional steps before a patient could be prescribed an abortion pill, but the bill did not make it past the first round of floor debate.

Nebraska abortions by year

2008: 2,813

2009: 2,551

2010: 2,464

• Abortion ban past 20 weeks of pregnancy takes effect in Nebraska

2011: 2,372

2012: 2,299

2013: 2,177

2014: 2,270

2015: 2,004

2016: 1,907

2017: 1,958

2018: 2,078

2019: 2,068

2020: 2,378

2021: 2,360

2022: 2,547

• Roe v. Wade overturned by U.S. Supreme Court

2023: 2,325

• Nebraska Legislature approves abortion ban at 12 weeks post-gestation

2024: 2,501

• Nebraska voters approve constitutional amendment Initiative 434, banning most abortions past the first trimester

2025: 2,698

Source: Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services

University of Nebraska–Lincoln staff and retirees are invited to register for HealthierU’s summer small group training program.

Small group training combines the motivation of group fitness with individualized guidance from a certified personal trainer, helping participants work toward fitness goals in a supportive environment.

The summer 2026 session is July 14 to Aug. 20 and meets from 6:30 to 7:20 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at the recreation center on City Campus. The cost is $60 for Campus Recreation members and $110 for nonmembers.

Participants may also add pre- and post-program InBody scans for $20. The noninvasive body composition assessment helps participants measure progress and better understand changes in body composition throughout the program.

Register by completing the intake form. Registration is open through July 14 or until the program reaches capacity.

Learn more about the program.

County fairs and livestock shows are ramping up this summer as several cattle illness threats are starting to emerge in Nebraska and other states. Livestock experts aren’t raising alarm about increased spread, but they are encouraging livestock owners to pay more attention this year to biosecurity efforts and the movement of their animals.

Two threats have emerged over the last several months: the rise in a tick-born disease called Theileria and the return of a flesh-eating parasite called the New World Screwworm.

At least 10 feedlots and three breeding herds have reported cases of imported cattle having Theileria. The disease is caused by the Asian longhorn tick, most commonly found on the East Coast. The tick itself hasn’t been found in Nebraska, but the disease can be spread further by reusing needles with an infected animal or through other blood-sucking organisms such as lice. The symptoms include anemia, jaundice, loss of appetite, exercise intolerance and weakness. In some cases, the disease can be fatal.

Cattle owners have been closely watching the spread of the New World Screwworm. It wreaked havoc on U.S. herds decades ago, but it was eradicated from the country in the 1960s. Cases started appearing in Texas in early June, and cattle owners in neighboring states have assumed that the parasite will eventually spread north. The screwworms lay eggs in the flesh of live animals, which can cause infections, disease and death if left untreated.

Nebraska Extension said early detection of the parasite is “critical for successful control efforts.” Possible early signs of New World Screwworm infections include non-healing wounds, depression or restlessness, foul-smelling lesions, presence of maggots in living tissue and animals showing pain or discomfort. They could show this behavior through shaking their heads or showing pain or irritation around wounds.

Several county fairs and shows have already started this summer. The Nebraska State Fair will kick off at the end of August in Grand Island. But several other large-scale shows, including the Burwell Rodeo that brings together animals from outside Nebraska, will culminate over the next few weeks.

Vaughn Sievers, the agriculture director for the Nebraska State Fair, said fair officials work closely with an official State Fair veterinarian to evaluate the health of animals before they are allowed onto fairgrounds.

“To date, the fair has not experienced a disease outbreak,” Sievers said. “However, we coordinate closely with our security and veterinary teams to maintain response plans and designated quarantine areas in the event one were to occur.”

Officials with the Nebraska Department of Agriculture said livestock owners should start biosecurity measures even before they set out to travel to shows. The state agency is recommending livestock owners ensure all their equipment is clean and disinfected, and they should monitor their animal’s health leading up to traveling for shows.

While livestock are at fairs, the department said exhibitors shouldn’t share tools with others, and when using a community hose, they should not allow their animals to drink directly from the hose or dip the community hose in their bucket.

After the shows or fairs are over and animals are heading back to farms, livestock owners should isolate all the show animals for at least two to three weeks, just in case illnesses develop several days after returning home. Experts recommend keeping animals away from nose-to-nose contact, if they’re able.

The Nebraska State Fair has a protocol for handling biosecurity measures and subsequent contingency plans.

Nebraska Extension has provided checklists for ag producers who are taking their animals outside state lines. Lindsay Waechter-Mead, a beef educator with Nebraska Extension, recommended certain regulations with traveling cattle that can take multiple days to complete. Even domestic pets, such as cats and dogs, also require a Certified Veterinary Inspection to cross state lines.