Nebraska
Nebraska Supreme Court rejects two lawsuits challenging abortion-rights petition • Nebraska Examiner
Editor’s note: This story was updated at 4:15 p.m. to reflect the latest court action.
LINCOLN — The Nebraska Supreme Court on Thursday rejected fast-tracking a pair of lawsuits seeking to remove an abortion-rights constitutional amendment from the fall ballot.
Time is short for either effort, one from a Douglas County woman funded by the socially conservative Thomas More Society and one backed by local abortion opponents.
Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen has until Sept. 13 to finalize the November general election ballot. He announced on Aug. 23 that the measure qualified for the ballot.
The second lawsuit was filed Wednesday, hours after the Nebraska Supreme Court declined to take up the first. Attorneys for the Douglas County woman, Carolyn LaGreca, tried to correct a mistake on the first lawsuit and refiled it. But the court again rejected the case Thursday.
In the second lawsuit, filed Wednesday, Dr. Catherine Brooks, a Lincoln neonatologist, asked the court to remove the Protect the Right to Abortion measure from the ballot.
Criticizes proposal’s language
The proposed abortion-rights amendment would codify a right to abortion in the Nebraska Constitution until “fetal viability,” as determined by a health care provider, with later exceptions for the mother’s health.
Brooks was the public face of 30-plus medical providers who filed a complaint Monday with Evnen’s office, asking him to administratively reconsider his decision that the measure had legally qualified for the ballot.
In a statement Thursday from her attorney, Brenna Grasz, Brooks criticized the abortion amendment for redefining the viability standard by “extending the meaning into the late stages of pregnancy.” She called the proposal’s language “subjective, confusing and unworkable.”
“It subjects women and medical professionals to vague, unscientific standards, and dangerously expands the scope of abortion practice,” Brooks said.
She said the measure expands who decides viability to a person’s “health care practitioner” and called that “unsafe.” Non-physicians should not be making such determinations “outside the scope of their education, training, and experience,” she said.
Her lawsuit largely mirrored what the complaint letter argued, that the measure put forward by Protect Our Rights contains more than one subject, in violation of a state constitutional rule that ballot measures can cover only a single subject.
It argued that the petition seeks to create a new constitutional right to an abortion at the same time it seeks to define fetal viability and create an exception for a woman’s health.
The filing repeated anti-abortion criticism of the initiative that it also seeks to restrict the state’s ability to legislate and regulate abortion. It also redefines legal terms in ways the lawsuit describes as problematic.
“The Initiative violates this requirement by containing multiple proposals that are dissimilar, unrelated, and separate purposes,” the lawsuit said. “These separate purposes also lack a natural and necessary connection.”
No immediate comment from either side
Protect Our Rights had no immediate comment about the latest lawsuit or the Court’s action.
Allie Berry, campaign manager for Protect Our Rights, has said abortion opponents were “doing everything in their power to undermine the process and lay the groundwork for their ultimate goal: a total abortion ban.”
The group has noted that Evnen certified the measure and said petition organizers had “followed the appropriate processes every step of the way.” Supporters said that the measure is legal and that voters deserve a say on reproductive health.
Brooks’ lawsuit asked the Supreme Court to let it skip the step of going through District Court because time is short, similar to the appeal made in a separate lawsuit from a Douglas County woman that the court rejected for technical reasons.
That lawsuit was refiled Wednesday by the plaintiff’s attorney, who said he corrected a clerical error. The court reconsidered and still rejected it. Funded by the socially conservative Thomas More Society, this lawsuit argues similarly that the ballot measure seeking to cement abortion rights tries to do too much at once, in violation of the Nebraska Constitution.
The court decided not to take either case as a so-called “original action.” Notes on the case files said the two applications were “not supported by affidavit or positively-verified petition.”
If the ballot measure goes forward, Nebraska would be the first state since the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 reversal of Roe v. Wade to have competing abortion-related constitutional amendments on the same ballot.
Abortion opponents are supporting a measure that would constitutionally limit abortion to the first trimester of pregnancy and still let the Legislature pass stricter bans than contained in current law.
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NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (KNOP) – Get ready for a stretch of absolutely gorgeous weather to kick off your weekend but keep an eye on the heat building as we head into next week.
This Weekend: Perfect Conditions
Saturday and Sunday are shaping up to be nearly identical — sunny skies with highs climbing to around 89 and 90 degrees respectively. A light south southeast breeze at 5 to 10 mph will keep things comfortable, though gusts could reach 20 mph at times. Overnight lows will dip to the low 60s, making for pleasant sleeping weather.
This is ideal weather for outdoor plans. Whether you’re heading to a summer event, spending time at the lake, or just enjoying time outside, you won’t want to miss it.
Early Next Week: Heat Turns Up
Starting Monday, temperatures begin a steady climb. Highs will reach 91 degrees Monday, then 91 again Tuesday before pushing toward 92 on Wednesday. By Thursday and Friday, we’re looking at highs near 94 to 95 degrees.
The good news? Skies remain sunny throughout, and humidity levels should stay relatively manageable. The breeze will be light, so it won’t feel quite as intense as it could.
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Copyright 2026 KNOP. All rights reserved.
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
Copyright 2026 KOLN. All rights reserved.
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.
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