Nebraska’s top court affirms Let Them Grow Act, pro-life addition

The state’s Supreme Court issued a ruling on Friday that upholds a law to protect children from abortion and transgender medical practices. Nebraska legislators passed the law last year protecting babies from being aborted after 12 weeks in the womb. The law also includes a section barring medical workers from performing gender-altering procedures on children under the age of 9. Such procedures include the surgical alteration of the vocal cords, the reduction of Adam’s Apple thyroid cartilage, and the prescription of puberty-blocking drugs.

What was the legal argument? The Nebraska constitution requires that laws pertain to only one subject that is clearly expressed in the measure’s title. Planned Parenthood sued the state last year alleging that the law violated the constitutional requirement. The state Supreme Court ruled that the law did not violate the single-subject rule as both abortion and transgender procedures pertain to the subject of medical care.

How was the ruling received by conservatives? Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen praised the court for a thorough and well-reasoned opinion to uphold protections for the lives of children. Pillen thanked God for the privilege of signing the measure into law and Attorney General Mike Hilgers for defending it. Hundreds of babies are alive today because of this commonsense law, and the ruling ensures that vulnerable children continue to receive help and not harm, the Nebraska Family Alliance said.

How did Planned Parenthood respond? Nebraskans deserve the power to make decisions about their bodies and this fight is not over, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Nebraska wrote after the ruling. It will continue providing abortions up to 12 weeks and helping patients access procedures, even to travel out of state, the organization continued. Planned Parenthood also pushed readers to support a ballot measure in November to enshrine abortion in the Nebraska constitution.

Dig deeper: Read Josh Schumacher’s report about the Nebraska ballot measure along with a similar one in Arizona.