That last minute and unexpected move in the Nebraska Legislature for another vote to further ban abortions in the state is just hours away and the ACLU is urging opponents of any ban to rally at the Capitol on Tuesday.

Last month a move to ban abortions after six weeks failed, as talk of a 12-week compromise left the six-week ban one vote short.

That one vote and that 12-week compromise coming from State Sen. Merv Riepe a pro-life Republican who represents a purple Metro district, parts of Ralston and Omaha. 

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Riepe was expected to easily win his race last November but it was closer than anyone thought (52-48) as his pro-choice opponent surged following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Riepe: “This made the message to me clear as to how critical abortion will be in 2024. In 2024 the fallout from Roe v Wade will be front and center on the minds of voters especially women it. It has become more of an issue of rights. Future votes 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.”

Now enter that new 12-week abortion ban proposed by pro-life Republican State Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair, which according to the Omaha World-Herald finds Riepe undecided.

Hansen’s ban is based on “Gestational  age…the age of a preborn child as calculated from the first day of the last menstrual period of the pregnant woman," which is said to be more restrictive than Riepe’s which bans abortions 12 weeks after fertilization.

The vote on the abortion issue is likely late Tuesday night.