LINCOLN — The number of abortions performed in Nebraska rose roughly 6% between 2021 and 2022, including a spike in the number of women coming from other states, according to a new report.
The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services reported this past week that the state logged 2,507 abortions in 2022, up from 2,360 in 2021. Among those in 2022, more than 500 of them were for patients living outside Nebraska.
By comparison, the number of abortions performed on Nebraska residents decreased from 2,068 in 2021 to 1,981 in 2022.
Aside from Nebraska, Iowa had the highest number of patients listed at 146, but that actually marks a decrease from 2021 when the state had 160. Other states — like Kansas, Texas, Missouri and Oklahoma — saw much larger increases, with each of them reporting 12 or fewer abortions in Nebraska for 2021, but between 30 and 120 in 2022.
All of these states have been embroiled in similar abortion battles as Nebraska in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade last summer. Unlike Nebraska, many of them enacted restrictions within the same year as the ruling.
Planned Parenthood North Central States recently reported that the organization has recorded an 11% rise in second-trimester abortions, largely due to an increase in women traveling out of state to seek the procedure.
State Sen. Joni Albrecht of Thurston and other anti-abortion advocates said the new numbers cement their suspicions that a lack of action from Nebraska last year made it an “abortion destination state.” However, abortion rights supporters said it proves that women will go to these lengths because abortions are necessary medical care.
“This just shows abortion is a necessary health care procedure,” said State Sen. Megan Hunt of Omaha, a leading abortion rights supporter in the Nebraska Legislature. “It’s not something that opponents are ever going to be able to ban outright, all they end up doing when they restrict access is they make abortions less safe.”
The 2022 numbers reflect a time when abortions were banned past 20 weeks post-fertilization in Nebraska, which is no longer the law. The Legislature recently passed a bill that bans abortions at 12 weeks based on gestational age, which took effect immediately after Gov. Jim Pillen signed it in May.
Karen Bowling, executive director of the Nebraska Family Alliance, said the new restrictions will likely impact the number of women traveling from other states for abortions.
“Nebraska’s taken the next step in becoming a sanctuary for life,” Bowling said.
Since Roe was overturned, anti-abortion lawmakers in Nebraska have been trying to increase the state’s restrictions. Before the ruling, lawmakers tried to pass a total ban that would take effect upon the ruling, but that was struck down during debate. Lawmakers considered holding a special session last fall to consider a 12-week ban, but then-Gov. Pete Ricketts rejected it, citing a lack of support for the proposal.
Earlier this year, lawmakers proposed another measure (Legislative Bill 626) that would have banned abortions around six weeks of pregnancy, but it failed to overcome a filibuster. The 12-week gestational ban was added as an amendment to a different bill (LB 574) once LB 626 failed.
Initially, anti-abortion lawmakers and Pillen resisted the 12-week proposal, arguing that it wouldn’t reduce enough abortions. They based this on Nebraska’s abortion statistics for 2021, which showed about 85% of the state’s abortions that year happened beyond the six-week mark, while only about 13% happened after 12 weeks’ gestation.
The latest numbers haven’t changed that much. The 2022 data shows about 15% (380) of abortions happened at 12 weeks or later, while 85% (2,143) happened between six and 12 weeks, based on gestational age.
Though the 12-week ban will keep the majority of abortions legal based on last year’s numbers, Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha — another abortion rights supporter — said it adds an unnecessary barrier to lifesaving medical care.
Often, life-threatening complications don’t turn up until later stages of pregnancy, Cavanaugh said. In those cases, Cavanaugh said women will either be forced to go out of Nebraska for treatment, or put themselves and their doctors in a difficult situation where they have to determine whether the circumstances qualify under LB 574’s exceptions.
Since the passage of the 12-week ban through LB 574, Pillen has vowed to continue pushing for further restrictions until abortions are completely outlawed in Nebraska. Albrecht said she also hopes to pass increased restrictions in the future.
“I echo Governor Pillen when I say that Nebraska is committed to becoming an even more pro-life state and we won’t stop until every baby and mother is protected from the predatory abortion industry,” Albrecht said in an email.
But first, LB 574 must overcome a lawsuit that could revert the state to its 20-week ban if the plaintiffs succeed. Bowling, with Nebraska Family Alliance, said the outcome of the case will also influence Nebraska’s abortion statistics for 2023.
The frequency of Nebraska’s abortions have ebbed and flowed over the last two decades. The state recorded more than 4,100 abortions in 2000, after which numbers steadily dropped to a low of about 1,900 in 2016. Since then, overall numbers have been steadily rising again.
The reasons patients sought abortions haven’t changed much between 2021 and 2022, with the most common reason being no contraception used, followed by contraception failure, mental health concerns, socioeconomic reasons and maternal physical health concerns.
Another abortion rights supporter, Sen. Jen Day of Omaha, said the numbers don’t show the full story. Each abortion included in the report represents a different situation a woman went through to lead to the procedure.