Nebraska

Nebraska abortion ballot measure passes in 2024 election

Published

2 months ago

November 6, 2024

Nebraska abortion ballot measure passes in 2024 election

Amid the 2024 election, a Nebraska abortion ballot measure passed on Tuesday that enshrines the state’s current ban on abortions after the 12th week of pregnancy in the state constitution.

What Was Abortion Access Like in Nebraska?

Nebraska was one of several other states voting on constitutional amendments to protect reproductive rights this election cycle, as abortion in the state is currently banned after 12 weeks of pregnancy. Last year, the state enacted a law prohibiting abortion starting at 12 weeks of pregnancy except in medical emergencies or when pregnancy results from sexual assault or incest.

Abortion has been a key issue amid this year’s election since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in the summer of 2022, as many Republican-controlled states have put abortion restrictions into effect, with 21 states banning or restricting the medical practice at every stage of pregnancy.

However, most Democratic states have laws or executive orders in place to protect access. Voters in California, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, Ohio, Vermont and Arizona have taken steps to adopt similar ballot measures, hoping to put the abortion issue directly before voters.

Abortion rights activists protest in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on June 24. Nebraska’s abortion ballot measure that prohibits abortions after the first trimester with some exceptions has passed on Tuesday.

Aashish Kiphayet

What Is Initiative 439 and Initiative 434?

There were two abortion-related ballot measures in which voters could either enshrine abortion access with Initiative 439 or open the door for further restrictions with Initiative 434.

Initiative 439 would allow abortions until fetal viability—usually around 20 to 24 weeks, or when needed to protect the life or health of a pregnant woman, without interference from the state. The amendment is similar to abortion-rights measures going before voters in other states.

Meanwhile, Initiative 434 would amend the state constitution to prohibit abortion in the second and third trimesters or after 12 weeks—with some exceptions. It is supported by Nebraska Right to Life, an anti-abortion rights group. While this measure would not cause major changes at the ground level, it might make it harder to challenge the state’s abortion law and could open the door for further restrictions.

By How Much Did the Abortion Measure Pass?

The abortion measure, Initiative 434, passed with 55.3 percent of voters for the measure with 496,626 votes, according to NBC News.

Initiative 439, which would have established a right to abortion until fetal viability failed, with 51.2 percent or 460,380 votes against the measure and only 48.8 percent or 439,136 votes for the measure.

According to the Nebraska Constitution, the winning measure with the most votes shall become law “as to all conflicting provisions.” State law says the governor shall proclaim which provision is paramount.

Since Initiative 434 passed, a court could determine that it conflicts with the abortion-rights measure only in the second and third trimesters, Brandon Johnson, an assistant law professor at the University of Nebraska, previously told the Associated Press.

That could create a scenario where abortion is elevated as a fundamental right during the first trimester but restricted in the second and third.

However, despite the passage of the measure, lawsuits could soon follow Tuesday’s decision as abortion rights continue to be a divided issue across the country.

Source link

Click to comment

Nebraska

Georgia Transfer Defensive Back Justyn Rhett Commits to Nebraska

Published

2 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Press Room

Georgia Transfer Defensive Back Justyn Rhett Commits to Nebraska

An SEC defensive back is headed to Lincoln via the transfer portal.

Former Georgia DB Justyn Rhett has committed to Nebraska. He has three years of eligibility remaining.

Rhett appeared in four games over two seasons for the powerhouse Bulldogs. He finishes his Georgia career with three tackles.

The 6-1, 200-pound DB got to Athens from the football factory out of Las Vegas, Bishop Gorman. A four-star prospect out of high school, Rhett was selected to play in Under Armour All-America Game and picked Georgia over Alabama, Michigan, Florida State, LSU, Tennessee, Oregon, Notre Dame, Oregon, and more.

MORE: Nebraska Women’s Basketball Falls at No. 17 Georgia Tech

MORE: Dave Feit’s Historical College Football Playoffs: The Post-Osborne Nebraska Teams

MORE: Purdue Transfer Quarterback Marcos Davila Commits to Nebraska

MORE: Carriker Chronicles: Nebraska Big Day; Coaching Staff Is Better

MORE: Despite Final Four Loss, Nebraska Volleyball Has Plenty to Be Proud Of This Season

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.

Source link

Nebraska

900 Square Feet: Recapping Louisville-Pitt, Penn State-Nebraska

Published

10 hours ago

December 21, 2024

Press Room

900 Square Feet: Recapping Louisville-Pitt, Penn State-Nebraska

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky — One match left: Louisville, which knocked out Pittsburgh, plays Penn State, which ousted Nebraska with a five-set reverse sweep.

ESPN and Big Ten Network analyst Emily Ehman and VolleyballMag editor Lee Feinswog look back on an incredible Thursday night at the NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship:

Source link

Nebraska

Dana Holgorsen, John Butler talk bowl prep and being “light on your feet”

Published

18 hours ago

December 21, 2024

Press Room

Dana Holgorsen, John Butler talk bowl prep and being “light on your feet”

In today’s college football, coaches must have their head on a swivel.

That’s true during the season of course, but it’s now a way of life once the transfer portal opens in December and rosters start moving and shaking. And things get even more wild if you’re at a program that’s playing in a bowl game, or even the College Football Playoff.

It’s a balancing act that all staffs are going through right now. Nebraska’s included.

“You’ve got to be light on your feet, man,” Nebraska defensive coordinator John Butler said during a press conference over Zoom on Thursday. “I mean, you’re maybe in the middle of a game-plan meeting and all of a sudden you got to jump out and you’re having a 30-minute meeting with a prospect that’s in on a visit, or you’re jumping on a Zoom doing it. Or you’re watching 15 minutes of tape to make sure that, hey, this guy just jumped in and he wants to visit us. So I think you got to be a fast thinker and mover and a shaker, quite frankly.”

This whole process has taught Butler, who spent the 2024 season as the defensive backs coach under now-departed DC Tony White, that these traits are as important as ever: Being decisive. Being organized. Following a road map to achieve a goal and not deviating from it when there’s chaos all over.

“You’ve got to have a plan and a vision for what you’re looking for, because everything happens so fast,” Butler said. “You have a guy get in and get out, get in and get signed. And at the same time, you also got to keep an eye on your roster constantly, because there’s people reaching out. There’s people reaching out to your players, whether it’s direct or it’s people reaching out through a third party. And it’s unfortunate in this environment.

“People said, ‘Hey, it’s like NFL free agency.’ No, it’s not. NFL free agency is regulated.”

As Husker fans have come to learn, just because a player says he’s going to enter the transfer portal doesn’t mean he actually will. And sometimes when a player actually enters his name in the portal, there’s always a chance they could withdraw their name and return to their program if each side wants.

Nebraska saw that happen with defensive lineman Keona Davis, who briefly entered the portal before withdrawing and staying at NU for 2025. There was also running back Emmett Johnson — he announced he would enter the portal but never made it there.

Holgorsen played a key role in convincing Johnson to stay at Nebraska.

“We had some long talks after the season, and I got to know him better as a person,” Holgorsen said of his relationship with Johnson. “I did that with a bunch of them, but him in particular was probably about the first one that came in and was excited about what we did, but there was some buts. So we had some long talks. I think he’s a great kid and he’s going to be a special player here. Excited to coach him.”

On Holgorsen’s side of the ball, he’ll have to adjust his game plan now that he’ll be without a handful of players he was able to use during the regular season.

Running back Dante Dowdell transferred to Kentucky on Friday. A tight end Holgorsen really liked, Nate Boerkircher, transferred to Texas A&M. Receiver Isaiah Neyor has chosen to opt out of the Pinstripe Bowl to focus on his NFL aspirations. Offensive lineman Micah Mazzccua, who began the year as the starting right guard but finished the season rotating with Gunnar Gottula at left tackle, won’t play in the bowl because he’s getting surgery to fix a torn labrum he played through during the season.

There will be holes to fill on Holgorsen’s offense in the bowl game and beyond in 2025. But Holgorsen brushes all of this chaos off. He’s a go-with-the-flow guy. He doesn’t pretend to have answers to fix college football. What he does have, though, is a plan.

“There’s been a lot of talk out there about something needs to happen. That’s above my pay grade,” Holgorsen said. “So, the few kids who decided to do that (leave), we wish them well, and you just go replace them. It’s as simple as that.”

Part of that replacement process needs to happen for the bowl game with current members of the roster. Behind Emmett Johnson, expect Rahmir Johnson — he’s native of the Bronx and will have several family members and friends at Yankee Stadium — to play often as it’ll be his final game in a Husker uniform.

But with Dowdell and Gabe Ervin Jr. gone from the team, perhaps this Pinstripe Bowl will feature another big back on Nebraska’s roster who’s seldom been used: redshirt freshman Kwinten Ives, a 6-3, 210-pounder.

“You know, 23 (Dowdell) isn’t playing in the bowl game but 28 (Ives) is gonna go in there and he’s gonna play his tail off because he’s had nine spectacular practices,” Holgorsen said. “I think that’s how you got to look at it. You don’t worry about the ones that aren’t playing. You worry about the ones that are playing, and you coach them and you try to develop them, put them in position to hopefully be successful.”