Nebraska Supreme Court upholds legislation combining abortion and trans health care for minors

Source: Nebraska Examiner

Planned Parenthood had argued that LB 574 violated state constitution’s single-subject rule

By Aaron Sanderford - July 26, 2024

LINCOLN — The Nebraska Supreme Court on Friday protected the Legislature’s prerogative to decide which bills are related, allowing the last-minute combination of a stricter abortion ban and restrictions on the treatment options of trans minors.

Planned Parenthood, represented by ACLU of Nebraska, had argued that Legislative Bill 574 had merged two unrelated ideas that did not succeed on their own and that the merger was unconstitutionally combined to secure votes.

The court disagreed with the group’s assertion that lawmakers overstepped the constitutional limit requiring bills to address a single subject. The decision could protect the practice of combining multiple bills as long as they address a related topic.

The court wrote that because the bill’s title was aimed at “public health and welfare,” that sufficiently covered the bill’s contents. It said they were logically connected and let the Legislature decide.


Opponents of LB 574 filled the Nebraska State Capitol Rotunda, as they have during nearly all previous rounds of debate on the bill, on Friday, May 19, 2023, in Lincoln, Neb. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)

Read more: https://nebraskaexaminer.com/