LINCOLN — Gov. Pete Ricketts said Monday he would not be calling a special session of the Nebraska Legislature to enact further restrictions on abortion rights.

Ricketts, a staunch opponent of abortion rights, reacted quickly to a letter from the Speaker of the Nebraska, State Sen. Mike Hilgers, stating that he had only 30 senators in support of his recent proposal to ban abortion after 12 weeks in Nebraska, instead of the current ban after 20 weeks.

Support from 33 senators would be needed to overcome a promised filibuster of any attempt to further restrict abortion.

Ricketts, in a press release issued only minutes after the Nebraska Examiner tweeted about Hilgers’ letter, hinted that more restrictive legislation might be coming later.

“Nebraskans need to have more conversations on the value we place on human life so more meaningful protections can be passed in our state,” said the Republican governor, who leaves office in January because of term limits.

A leading abortion rights advocate, State Sen. Megan Hunt of Omaha, said she wasn’t surprised by the news.

“Abortion bans aren’t popular,” Hunt said. “Any time government tries to come between a patient and a doctor — Nebraskans know that’s none of our business.”

She added that Nebraskans, following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, are growing more and more concerned about what that will mean.

Ricketts had pledged to call lawmakers back to Lincoln for a special session after the U.S. Supreme Court, in June, struck down the right to an abortion granted 49 years ago by overturning the landmark decision.

The governor said he had been working with Sen. Hilgers, a fellow abortion rights foe, on calling a special session and said to “stay tuned.”

Last week, Hilgers began calling state senators with a proposal to amend current state law, by banning abortion after 12 weeks instead of the current 20.

But Hilgers issued a letter Monday listing only 30 senators who were in support of the proposal. That would be three short of the 33 needed to halt a promised filibuster of any bill that restricted abortion rights.

“It is deeply saddening that only 30 Nebraska state senators are willing to come back to Lincoln this fall in order to protect innocent life,” Ricketts said in a press release, calling the Hilgers proposal “a measured, reasonable step” to further protect “pre-born babies.”

A couple of minutes after Ricketts’ press release went out, releases were issued by two anti-abortion groups, Nebraska Right to Life and Nebraska Family Alliance, decrying the lack of support.

Ricketts, in his press release, urged Nebraskans to contact their senators “to encourage them to reconsider their decision” if they were not among the 30 who signed the Hilgers letter Monday supporting the 12-week ban proposal.

This story was originally published by Nebraska Examiner, an editorially independent newsroom providing a hard-hitting, daily flow of news. It is part of the national nonprofit States Newsroom. Find more at nebraskaexaminer.com.

Author Profile: Paul Hammel