Don't Vote Against The Pro-Life Initiative

Life is on the ballot in Nebraska. Initiative 434 would establish baseline constitutional protections for pre-born babies in the second and third trimester, and Initiative 439 would enshrine abortion through all nine months of pregnancy as a “fundamental right” in the Nebraska Constitution.

The Nebraska pro-life community has rallied behind Initiative 434, including Nebraska Family Alliance, Nebraska Right to Life, Nebraska Catholic Conference, The Knights of Columbus, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, Focus on the Family, Governor Jim Pillen, pro-life state senators, and many others.

But not all of our pro-life friends are as excited about Initiative 434 as we are. A few have even encouraged people to vote against it. Why? For some, opposition to Initiative 434 is based on the false belief that it would create a right to abortion in the Nebraska Constitution or impede future pro-life laws. For others, they do not believe it goes far enough to protect life and oppose any measure that does not fully restrict all abortion.

We want to set the record straight and clear up any confusing or false information you may encounter.

The Facts About Initiative 434

Initiative 434 does not require or create a right to abortion in the first trimester or for cases of rape, incest, and medical emergencies. If passed, Initiative 434 would establish a floor of protection, not a ceiling, and greater protections can be passed going forward without needing to amend the Constitution.

Nebraska’s current 12-week law would remain in effect, and protections in the first trimester and cases of rape, incest, or medical emergency would be left to the Nebraska Legislature, just as they are right now.

This is not just semantics or our personal opinion but how the initiative is designed and understood by the most trusted and credible pro-life legal organizations locally and nationally, by all of our pro-life senators, and by pro-choice organizations who are urging their supporters to vote against Initiative 434.

Legal experts at Alliance Defending Freedom, Americans United for Life, and Thomas More Society have all agreed that Initiative 434 will preserve our existing laws that protect women and babies from abortion without creating a right to abortion or any barriers to passing stronger laws in the future.

Initiative 434 is not writing abortion into our constitution; it is writing protection from abortion into our constitution. A vote for Initiative 434 is not a vote for abortion in the first trimester; it is a vote against abortion in the second and third trimesters and for protecting our existing pro-life laws and passing stronger laws going forward.

We don’t lose ground with Initiative 434. We build a wall of protection against the expansion of abortion.

**Why is Initiative 434 needed? Why not just vote against Initiative 439?**

We are urging all Nebraskans to vote against Initiative 439, but to ensure Nebraska remains a pro-life state, more than just voting against Initiative 439 is needed.

Tragically, there is a real possibility that Initiative 439 will pass, and Initiative 434 may be the only thing standing in the way of a constitutional right to abortion until birth that will result in thousands of more babies dying each year.

Since Roe v. Wade was overturned, different abortion initiatives have been on the ballot in seven states, and the pro-life side has lost each time, including in Kansas, Kentucky, Montana, and Ohio.

Last year, despite having a pro-life governor and a pro-life super majority in their state legislature, Ohio voters approved a right to abortion in their state constitution, and they voted in favor of it by 13 points. This was after pro-life groups spent over $30 million on a robust “vote no” campaign.

Some may believe this could never happen in Nebraska, but the language on the ballot is very deceptive with millions of dollars backing it. The campaign to put Initiative 439 on the ballot submitted more than 207,000 signatures, the most for any ballot initiative in state history. We have also seen progressive policies pass on the ballot in recent years despite Nebraska being a “red” state.

However, if two conflicting initiatives both pass, the initiative with the most votes wins. This is why it is critical that pro-life voters VOTE FOR Initiative 434 and VOTE AGAINST Initiative 439. The total “for” votes for each initiative may ultimately decide which initiative becomes law.

The vote is likely to be close, and any vote against Initiative 434 jeopardizes a pro-life Nebraska by allowing 439 to prevail with more votes, which would put a right to unregulated abortion until birth into our state constitution.

A vote for Initiative 434 helps stop Initiative 439 and preserves our ability to pass stronger laws, and a vote against Initiative 434 helps Planned Parenthood, who is urging people to vote against it.

Beyond the possibility of Initiative 439 passing, there are many threats to life. Vice President Harris has promised to “restore Roe v. Wade” as the law of the land if elected President, and bad court decisions have forced pro-abortion policies on some states. By passing Initiative 434 and bolstering our pro-life laws through constitutional protection, we can protect our state in ways we won’t be able to if Initiative 434 fails and continue to build a culture of life.

Voting against Initiative 434 does not help protect pre-born lives; it puts our current laws that save hundreds of lives each year and our ability to pass better laws at risk of being eliminated.

We Will Always Stand For Life

Like all of our pro-life friends, we believe every life should be cherished and protected. Initiative 434 ensures we can keep working towards that goal while saving as many lives as possible now.

Voting for Initiative 434 and against Initiative 439 is a way to restrain evil and preserve the most good.

Every voter should pray, seek good information, and vote according to their conscience. Initiative 439 is the single greatest threat to life in Nebraska, and no effort should be spared to defeat it.

Pro-life voters must be united to give us the best chance of defeating Initiative 439. Voting for Initiative 434 gives us that chance. Nebraska Family Alliance urges all pro-life Nebraskans to vote for Initiative 434 and against Initiative 439, and regardless of the results, we will continue working to advance family, freedom, and life in Nebraska.