A note from the District President regarding the two November ballot initiatives about abortion
UPDATE: Why not vote “no” on both 434 and 439 if you are truly pro-life?
The state constitution currently does not have actual protection for life. It has been the practice of the legislature to interpret it as such, but 434 will add pro-life language to the constitution. 434 establishes a 12-week ceiling on abortion, but not a floor. The upper limit leaves room for future legislation to protect life from the moment it starts. This means that 434 will “hold the line” with the current 12-week abortion ban and leave room for further action in the future.
439 represents a tremendous and radical shift in state policy on abortion and parental rights. There is much concern that if 439 is enacted, it will be much harder to return any protections for life to the state constitution. The polls of the public opinion shared by the Nebraska Catholic Conference show how close this initiative is to passing: Protect Women & Children publicly released a poll back in the spring showing that the abortion measure (Initiative 439) had 54% support among the general public.
Every person should vote their conscience, but with both initiatives on the agenda, whichever receives the greater majority will be the one placed into the constitution. The danger of pro-life voters voting no on both would likely give the advantage to 439. For a more detailed treatment on this topic you may wish to read: https://www.lincolndiocese.org/op-ed/legislative-update/18196-vote-no-on-both-is-wrong-harmful
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Fellow pastors and all brothers and sisters in Christ,
God calls us in His Word to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves, to speak for the unborn, to protect life and not promote death. The ballot for the November 5th election will include two initiatives concerning life, both requiring our response. It is important to vote on both initiatives.
Initiative #434 has language consistent with the law passed in 2023 that prevents elective abortion after 12 weeks; though God calls us to protect all life, this initiative does not prevent future legislation from being enacted and is considered by Nebraska Right to Life as an incremental step toward the goal of protecting all life from conception to natural death. Vote YES on #434!
Initiative #439, on the other hand, is a pro-abortion initiative. This initiative would establish a fundamental right to abortion until fetal viability “without interference from the state”, which would negate several pro-life laws currently in effect in Nebraska. This includes the 12-week protection law, the ban on dismemberment abortions and partial birth abortions, parental consent, informed consent, and other pro-life mandates. Vote NO on #439! Again, it is important to vote on both initiatives.
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod believes that abortion is contrary to God’s Word and “is not a moral option, except as a tragically unavoidable byproduct of medical procedures necessary to prevent the death of another human being, viz., the mother”. (Source: LCMS FAQ)
Some resources for you and your congregation include:
- A free Bible study from Concordia Publishing House, Called to Vote: Navigating through Political Extremes. Available at THIS LINK.
- In the Creator’s Hands: The Value of Human Life, an article from Rev. Scott Bruick, Nebraska District Fourth Vice-President. Available at THIS LINK.
- We have collected a number of resources about life issues and other parish health issues on our Life Resources page HERE.
- A number of resources are available from the Nebraska Family Alliance’s resource center, including:
- Clear guidance on how churches can and cannot engage in political issues
- Half-page comparisons of the two initiatives for use as bulletin inserts