See our feature article on this bill written by Tiffany Campbell based on her testimony before the Nebraska legislature.

Note: This article was edited to reflect additional news that one exemption was added to the Act.

The Nebraska Abortion Pain Prevention Act has cleared another step towards becoming law today, passing through the Judiciary Committee by a vote of 5-3 according to the Omaha World Herald.  The legislation, which makes an unsubstantiated claim that a fetus feels pain at 20 weeks gestation, was introduced by Speaker of the Legislature Mike Flood in an attempt to set a “new standard” in restricting legal access to abortion.

The legality of the bill was discussed, with some committee members expressing concern over the constitutionality of the bill.  With no exemption except for cases of mother’s health, the ban would constitute the narrowest conditions for safe abortion care in the country.

Tiffany Campbell, a Nebraska mother who testified at the public hearing for the bill last month, explained how such a law would have forced her to lose both of a set of twins due to fetal anomalies incompatible with life, rather than have the procedure that enabled her to instead save the life of one, her now three-year-old son.  When presented with her testimony, Speaker Flood simply stated he would need to “think about” other exemptions.  The committee added one exemption, to allow later abortions if necessary to save the life of unborn fetus, based on Campbell’s story.

The Abortion Pain Prevention Act will now be voted on by the unicameral legislature, although a date for the vote has not yet been set.