Press Release: Heartbeat Act Voted Out Of Committee

A Majority Of Nebraskans Support The Heartbeat Bill Headed To The Full Legislature

The Nebraska Health and Human Services Committee advanced a measure to protect the lives of thousands of unborn children who have a beating heart. LB 626, sponsored by Senator Joni Albrecht, requires that a doctor, before proceeding with any abortion, first perform an ultrasound in accordance with standard medical procedure to listen for a fetal heartbeat. If a heartbeat is present, an abortion may not be performed.

Fifty-eight percent of likely voters support the law, based on new polling conducted by WPA Intelligence. Only one-third of voters oppose the bill. The poll also found the abortion-on-demand until-birth position held by the Biden-Harris Administration wildly unpopular amongst Nebraskans, with three-quarters rejecting that stance.

Charlotte Lozier Institute doctors were among those who testified on the bill, sharing the science of fetal heartbeat. Throughout their comments, the doctors revealed facts of development at six weeks gestation, including that an unborn baby has a steady heartbeat of 110 BPM. The presence of a heartbeat indicates that a baby has a remarkably high chance (up to 98%) of surviving to birth, they said.

SBA Pro-Life America’s Western Regional Director Adam Schwend commented:

“Today marks a major victory for the unborn in Nebraska and nationwide. As the first state in the country following the 2022 election to advance legislation to protect unborn babies with a heartbeat, we have the potential to save 2,000 lives every year and to be a shining example to other states that lack these protections.”

Nebraska pro-life leaders praised the committee’s passage, calling for the Legislature to send the legislation to the governor’s desk:

“Thank you to the Nebraska senators who voted in favor of the science and the truth and advanced The Nebraska Heartbeat Act out of committee. As LB 626 heads to the full body, we call on the rest of our legislators to protect the most vulnerable among us who have a beating heart by sending this legislation to Governor Pillen for his signature,” said Karen Bowling, Executive Director of Nebraska Family Alliance.

Sandy Danek, Executive Director of Nebraska Right to Life, said, “Today Nebraska took a giant step forward in valuing everyone’s rights, regardless of race, belief, socioeconomic status, or age—born and unborn. By limiting abortions to cases of rape, incest, and life of the mother when a heartbeat is detected, we will save thousands of innocent lives in Nebraska.”

“This legislation protects the two primary victims of abortion: the unborn child and the mother, who deserves better than abandonment to abortion,” said Marion Miner, Associate Director of Pro-Life & Family Policy at the Nebraska Catholic Conference. “This bill, along with pro-life safety net legislation that is being considered this session, will greatly advance support for and recognition of the dignity of Nebraska mothers.”

More than a dozen states have already taken action to protect life, with the potential to save more than 200,000 lives in the first year after the Dobbs Supreme Court decision. To review the most accurate and up-to-date science of human prenatal development at six weeks of pregnancy, visit Charlotte Lozier Institute’s groundbreaking VoyageOfLife.com resource.