A move to ban abortions in Nebraska after six weeks stalled in the Legislature today, leaving Gov. Jim Pillen “profoundly disappointed” and calling out one fellow Republican lawmaker by name. 

The Nebraska Heartbeat Act, which was given the initial go-ahead by lawmakers earlier this month, came up one vote short today on moving to a third and final vote sometime in the next few weeks.

GOP State Sen. Merv Riepe, who has proposed a compromise 12-week ban, did not vote to move the six-week ban forward. Pillen immediately calling on Riepe to call for another vote and “stand by the commitments to Life he has made in the past.”

Riepe represents a swing urban district made up of voters in Ralston and Millard. Considered a heavy favorite going into election day last November he won by a mere 4 points (52-48) over a little-known pro-choice woman. Riepe telling his fellow lawmakers today that the abortion landscape is changing dramatically. “She could have won.”

And Riepe didn’t stop there.

“This made the message to me clear as to how critical abortion will be in 2024. In 2024 the fallout from Roe versus wade will be front and center on the minds of voters especially women it. It has become more of an issue of rights," said Riepe. "Future votes in the near future will be dominated by urban voters generally more progressive, and where our great majority of Nebraskans reside. I predict the 2024 election will be the greatest nonpartisan issue vote in the history of the state and the impact will be felt in this legislative body.”

According to backers of the Heartbeat bill it, “prohibits a physician from the prescription or performance of abortion if the unborn child has a detectable fetal heartbeat unless a medical emergency exists or the unborn child was the result of sexual assault or incest. Abortion does not include ectopic pregnancy, still birth, miscarriage, accidental termination, intent to save the life of the child, or in vitro fertilization. A physician who violates this act is subject to licensing revocation under the Nebraska Uniform Credentialing Act.”

As NCN reported earlier two Democrats, State Senators Machaela Cavanaugh (Omaha) and Jen Day (Gretna) filed a 14 page “minority report” objecting to the bill on various grounds.

The two Democrats arguing the bill does not allow abortions in cases of rape or incest. According to Cavanaugh and Day, the six-week ban, “would indicate that these crimes must be established or proven to permit the abortion procedure. This would effectively nullify the purported rape exception due to the time it would take to reach a conclusion in a criminal case.”

During today’s vote and earlier votes only one Democrat has supported the six-week ban, State Sen. Mike McDonnell of Omaha who says he’s pro-life from conception to natural death. McDonnell adds he does not support the death penalty.