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Medical professionals have launched an alternative pro-life ballot initiative as part of an effort to defeat a pro-abortion ballot effort launched by Planned Parenthood. Learn more about this pro-life ballot effort.

On March 19, 2024, a group of medical professionals launched a ballot initiative proposal providing protections for preborn babies in the second and third trimesters. This will be Initiative 434 on the ballot this election season and is called "Protect Women & Children." This proposal differs from the morally evil pro-abortion proposal launched in November 2023 which you can learn more about here.

The language of Initiative 434, Protect Women & Children, is as follows:

“Except when a woman seeks an abortion necessitated by a medical emergency or when the pregnancy results from sexual assault or incest, unborn children shall be protected from abortion in the second and third trimester.”

What You Need To Know

The three Bishops of Nebraska—through the Nebraska Catholic Conference—stated it is morally permissible, and encouraged, for Nebraskans to support the proposed Initiative 434, Protect Women & Children, for the following reasons:

  • The proposal provides constitutional protection for preborn babies during the 2nd and 3rd trimester.
  • The proposal leaves protections for preborn babies in the 1st trimester and in cases of rape, incest, or medical emergency to the Nebraska Legislature.
  • The proposal does not affect Nebraska’s current pro-life law which protects preborn babies at 12 weeks with exceptions for rape, incest, and medical emergency, and it leaves intact countless other health and safety laws passed over the last 50 years to protect women and babies from abortion.

The Bishops further determined that a voter can support the proposal, under the following conditions:

  • The voter must understand that all abortion must be opposed, and that direct abortion is never morally acceptable under any circumstances.
  • The voter must view this proposal as an incremental step toward full protection of all human life from abortion, and not as a permanent compromise. Supporters must remain committed to the effort of recognizing the right to life of all preborn children. (See Saint Pope John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life), paragraph 73)
  • The voter must accept that the proposal does not create any right to abortion in the Nebraska Constitution. The Nebraska Legislature remains free to provide greater protection for human life.
  • The voter must understand that this proposal is an imperfect alternative to the intrinsically evil pro-abortion ballot initiative proposal launched in November. That pro-abortion ballot initiative cannot be supported under any circumstance and must be rejected.

For a downloadable one-page flyer to learn more or share with family, friends, and fellow parishioners, see our "Initiative 434 Fact Sheet" below.

Take Action

Every Nebraskan is needed to protect the life and dignity of women, girls, and babies by defeating the pro-abortion ballot effort. Using your unique talents and strengths, look over the following action items to figure out what your role in this historical moment looks like.

  • Pray and Fast
  • Speak Up
    • Commit to talking to five people within your circle of influence each week about the ballot initiatives related to abortion (both defeating the pro-abortion ballot proposal and helping understand the alternative pro-life ballot proposal). Whether it is a fellow pro-lifer who needs to be involved in efforts to defeat the pro-abortion ballot proposal, or a close friend who is on the fence about the issue of abortion, you can use our one-pager flyers to have informed, productive conversations about why this initiative is dangerous, deceptive, demeaning, and too extreme for Nebraska.
  • Sign Up
  • Host a Parish Talk
  • The Nebraska Catholic Conference staff is ready and willing to speak at your parish to educate and equip your community. Request a parish talk by filling out this short form, or find a parish talk near you on our event calendar.

    Paid for by Nebraska Catholic Conference, 215 Centennial Mall South, Suite 310, Lincoln, NE 68508

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