Abortion clinic signs proposed

Health care facilities that perform abortions would be required to post signs notifying women of their rights under a bill heard by the Judiciary Committee Feb. 27.

LB1032, introduced by Papillion Sen. Bill Kintner, would require any health care facility that performs abortions—other than those necessary to prevent the death of the woman—to post a sign stating that a woman seeking an abortion cannot be coerced or forced into having an abortion.

The bill would impose a $10,000 fine for each day the sign is not posted.

Kintner asked the committee to consider an amendment to the bill that would exempt hospitals and doctors’ offices from posting the signs.

Kintner said the proposed sign would tell a woman she cannot be coerced into having an abortion against her will.

“I am saddened that there are cases out there where abortions don’t need to be performed because of situations where a woman was threatened to the point that she went through with an abortion she did not want to have,” Kintner said.

Olivia Gans Turner of American Victims of Abortion testified in support of the bill, saying she had been coerced into having an abortion. She said having information that would appear on the proposed sign would have helped her during a stressful time in her life.

“I believe strongly I would have found the courage if anyone in any way had sent the message to me at that moment: You don’t have to do what someone else tells you to do—even if it’s the father of your child,” Gans Turner said.

Shauna Benjamin of Planned Parenthood of the Heartland testified in opposition to the bill. She said the signs are unnecessary because women seeking abortions undergo counseling that takes coercion into consideration.

Alan Peterson of American Civil Liberties Union Nebraska also testified in opposition to the bill, saying the state cannot force businesses to display a government message.

The committee took no immediate action on LB1032.