This was a very bad week for abortion rights and democracy

Last week, Republican lawmakers in several states aggressively targeted reproductive rights, cleverly using the legislative process to revive restrictive laws. abortion prohibitions

In the unicameral Nebraska legislature on Friday, lawmakers took their final vote and passed LB 574, an effort to restrict youth access to gender-affirming health care that now includes an unrelated amendment banning abortion. after 12 weeks of pregnancy. In an unconventional move, republicans quickly added the ban to the bill this week after a six-week abortion ban failed on camera last month.

Jane Kleeb, President of Nebraska Democratic partycriticized the combination of those efforts on Wednesday as “bending the rules merge two horrible bills.”

During Friday’s debate, several Nebraska democrats He accused Republicans of violating the state’s single-issue rule, designed to ensure bills serve a primary purpose, and ridiculed them for pushing the amendment without a proper hearing.

“The reason the abortion part was added was because the transgender part couldn’t pass without it…and clearly the abortion bill couldn’t pass without the trans bill, because we had to revive it. It’s a zombie bill,” state Sen. John Cavanaugh (D) charged on the chamber floor on Friday.

“One bill is being used to induce your vote for the other, which is one of the reasons we have the single issue rule,” he told his colleagues in the legislature.

State Sen. Danielle Conrad (D) raised the same concerns. “It’s not a commitment,” she said. “It’s a hastily considered restructuring of the original 574.”

Republicans said little about their maneuvering during the debate, instead characterizing the 12-week abortion ban as a reasonable middle ground.

“Many of us felt the six-week ‘heartbeat’ bill was the answer,” said State Senator John Lowe (R). “We gave up six weeks as a commitment. We are giving up those little children who will never breathe air.”

But the 12-week abortion ban in Nebraska, where the procedure is currently banned after 20 weeks of pregnancy, will continue to have a major effect on many patients, experts warned. More than 1,000 Nebraska medical professionals have signed a letter oppose legislationsaying that it “puts the lives of patients at risk and puts the careers of medical professionals at risk.”

And while several Nebraska Republicans pointed out Friday that most abortions already occur within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, that ignores the current and changing landscape of abortion access.

Wait times for appointments have increased at abortion clinics across the country as several states have placed heavily restrictive bans on the procedure, and Nebraska, which is close to the states with the strictest abortion deadlines, has seen one. of the higher percentage increases in proceedings since the fall of Roe v. Wade last year. In reality, many patients will need to become aware of their pregnancies and decide how to proceed well before 12 weeks.

The bill now goes to Republican Governor Jim Pillen, who is expected to make it law.

Equally frustrating abortion-related legislative processes also unfolded in the Carolinas this week.

In North Carolina, Republicans won narrowly override Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of the 12-week abortion ban thanks to the party’s new supermajority in the state House. They had the necessary numbers because state representative Tricia Cotham he switched parties in April, just months after running for re-election as a Democrat who had a record of supporting reproductive rights.

“Some call me a hypocrite since I voted for this bill,” Cotham said in a lengthy statement after the vote.

He defended the legislation, saying it provides a reasonable amount of time for the procedure and ensures that patients can still receive life-saving abortions, as it did in 2015. However, various incidents last year show that life-of-mother exceptions are difficult to apply and often result in hospitals waiting until the patient is near death before agreeing to terminate a dangerous pregnancy.

Meanwhile, Republicans in the South Carolina House of Representatives passed a six-week abortion ban Wednesday night. After they failed to pass in regular session, Republican Gov. Henry McMaster called lawmakers back into special session earlier this month, something a South Carolina governor hasn’t done in more than two decades.

Democrats tried to derail passage of the bill by submitting more than 1,000 amendments. “We will make it hurt if they put this on us,” said state Rep. Beth Bernstein (D), according to CNN. But House Speaker Murrel Smith has vowed not to adjourn until the six-week ban is passed.

“Bring dinner, dinner, breakfast, lunch, whatever for days or however long you want to pass the amendments,” he said. saying last week.

The bill now goes to the state Senate for one more vote.