With new senator, Nebraska abortion opponents gain ground

By GRANT SCHULTE
Associated Press

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Abortion-rights opponents are inching closer to a filibuster-proof super-majority in the Nebraska Legislature that would let them outlaw abortion if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns its landmark legalization ruling, as it appears poised to do. Nebraska lawmakers were two votes short this year on a bill that would have automatically banned abortions if the court gives states that power. On Tuesday, Gov. Pete Ricketts appointed a new state senator, Kathleen Kauth, to fill the seat of the late Sen. Rich Pahls, who died in April. Pahls opposed abortion and would have voted for the ban, but he was absent during the vote because of health problems. Kauth says she’d support a ban, giving supporters another vote.