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Anti-Abortion Advocates Get Their First Post-Dobbs Ballot Win in Nebraska

Nebraska also became the second state to reject a constitutional amendment to protect abortion access.

Nebraska State Capitol
The Nebraska State Capitol building is seen on the opening day of the Nebraska legislative session in Lincoln, NE. Nati Harnik/AP

Nebraska has become the first state to have an anti-abortion measure win at the ballot box since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, additionally becoming the second state to reject an abortion rights measure following South Dakota.

Voters had to decide between two competing abortion initiatives: One to enshrine abortion rights in the state’s constitution and another to protect the state’s 12-week abortion ban, allowing lawmakers to pass further restrictions.

Nebraska gives anti-abortion rights advocates a winning playbook after struggling in the years since the Dobbs decision in 2022: Instead of getting people to vote against abortion rights, get them to vote for something else.