FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 11, 2023
Contact: Mary Owens, [email protected]
Majority of NE Voters Want to Protect Unborn Children With Beating Hearts From Abortion; Support Grows With Scientific Information
Washington, D.C. – Today, Nebraska Senator Joni Albrecht unveiled legislation that protects unborn children from abortion when their heartbeat can be detected, the first state-level bill of its kind to be introduced in 2023 following the 2022 elections.
New polling conducted by WPA Intelligence for Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, Nebraska Catholic Conference, Nebraska Family Alliance and Nebraska Right to Life shows voters strongly support protecting unborn children with beating hearts and their mothers and overwhelmingly reject the extreme position of abortion on demand. The poll surveyed 528 registered voters statewide from December 18-20, 2022.
Key poll findings include:
- 58% of likely voters support a law that would protect unborn children from the moment their heartbeat can be detected and only 34% opposed a heartbeat bill.
- 57% of likely voters are more willing to support a heartbeat bill after they were introduced to the scientific evidence that the presence of a child’s heartbeat in the womb indicates a very high likelihood of survival to childbirth.
- 72% of likely voters reject legislation that would allow abortion on demand until birth.
SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser commented:
“Life is winning in the Dobbs era as momentum grows to protect unborn children from abortion the moment their heartbeat can be detected. Nebraska lawmakers are the first in the nation following the 2022 election to advance legislation to protect unborn babies with beating hearts. This law would mean significant progress to protect the unborn and their mothers in the Cornhusker State, with the potential to save thousands of lives a year.
“With advances in science, we now know more than ever about the humanity of the developing child in the womb. By six weeks, the baby’s heart is already beating at a rate of approximately 110 beats per minute, easily detectable on an ultrasound. Our polling shows that the more voters know the science, and the more they understand that the Dobbs victory empowered the people and their elected representatives to protect these children in the law, the more they reject pro-abortion extremism. We hope to see this legislation swiftly enacted and that many other states will follow Nebraska’s example.”
Nebraska pro-life leaders are welcoming the new polling and voicing their support for heartbeat protections, saying:
“Nebraskans know that a heartbeat means life. Every parent remembers the emotion of hearing their child’s heartbeat for the first time. We proudly support The Nebraska Heartbeat Act because science and the majority of citizens across our state agree that every life should be celebrated, valued, and protected.” – Karen Bowling, Executive Director, Nebraska Family Alliance
“The Nebraska Heartbeat Act will protect the lives of innocent human life within the womb,” said Sandy Danek, executive director of Nebraska Right to Life. “A discernible heartbeat is the key and universal medical confirmation that life exists, and every heartbeat has a right to live.”
Marion Miner, Associate Director of Pro-Life & Family Policy at the Nebraska Catholic Conference, stated, “A heartbeat is a universal sign of life. That is indisputable, and Nebraskans agree. We are unsurprised and encouraged by the results of this polling, which shows strong public support across the political spectrum for the 2023 Nebraska Heartbeat Act. We envision a Nebraska where every mom and baby without exception is celebrated, valued, and protected. We should all be able to agree on protecting babies with a beating heart.”
More than a dozen states have already taken action to protect life, with the potential to save more than 200,000 lives in the first year after the Dobbs Supreme Court decision. To review the most accurate and up-to-date science of human prenatal development at six weeks of pregnancy, visit Charlotte Lozier Institute’s groundbreaking VoyageOfLife.com resource.
Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America is a network of more than one million pro-life Americans nationwide, dedicated to ending abortion by electing national leaders and advocating for laws that save lives, with a special calling to promote pro-life women leaders.
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