By Grace Bellinghausen, Reporter
On Saturday, Oct. 2, Omaha joined 600 rallies nationwide at the Civic Center on 18th and Farnam in protesting the Heartbeat law in Texas, which restricts abortion access and went into effect last month. Hundreds showed up to stand in solidarity with abortion rights for all.
The Heartbeat law bans abortions once cardiac activity is detected at around 5 or 6 weeks into gestation, which is before 85 to 90 percent of abortions are carried out. The law makes no exceptions for pregnancies that result from rape or incest.
The rally was organized by Planned Parenthood of North Central States, ACLU of Nebraska, I Be Black Girl, League of Women Voters of Greater Omaha, United State of Women, and Women’s Fund of Omaha. The organizations came together to spread a unified message to Nebraskans.
They urged Nebraskans to reject legislation and avoid introducing legislation that is void of medical expertise and uses rhetoric that doesn’t use medical research or input.
Ally Stoneburner, an attendee at the rally, voiced her reasoning for speaking out against the Heartbeat law.
“I think it’s important to show that we won’t stop. We have a voice and we are standing with the women in Texas,” Stoneburner said. “We will not be quiet, we won’t let this keep going to different states. It stops here.”
On Sept. 2, self-proclaimed pro-life Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts tweeted “I am pleased to see the Texas law has taken effect, and we’ll be watching closely as we pull together our legislative plans with pro-life leaders here in Nebraska.”
Andi Talbot, head organizer of the Omaha Women’s March, stressed that there’s a possibility Nebraska could see similar legislation.
“It’s no secret that we have lawmakers here in Nebraska eyeing what’s happening in Texas and across the country and saying “We think this is good for Nebraska.” And the fact is that’s just not true,” Talbot said.
Women’s organizations stress that making abortions illegal will likely not end abortions, but create an illegal market for unsafe abortions, creating a double-ended sword for policy makers.
Many protestors recalled their time protesting for abortion rights in the ‘70s. In their eyes, there has been a regression in policymaking, erasing the women who worked tirelessly decades ago for the landmark case of Roe v. Wade.
