LINCOLN, Neb (KMTV) — Normally the Fourth of July is all about celebrating the freedoms we enjoy.
But this year, hundreds made their way to the Nebraska Capitol to protest for the freedoms they fear they are about to lose.
“The 4th of July is about freedom and independence and the best way we can act to preserve our own freedom and self-determination and independence is to let our voices be heard now, again and again,” said Scout Richters with the ACLU of Nebraska.
On Monday, protesters circled the Capitol and governor’s mansion to speak out against the Supreme Court’s move to overturn decades of precedent and send the abortion debate back to the states.
In Nebraska, abortion remains legal but a new special session could change that and organizers wanted the crowd to prepare for a legislative throwdown in the coming weeks.
“We need everyone to write, call and email their state senators, again and again, to tell them to stop the bans,” said Richter while addressing the crowd at Monday's rally.
Amid all of the frustration and anger of Monday’s protest was a sliver of hope for those fighting for abortion rights.
Pro-abortion rights legislators have already defeated an abortion ban in the legislature this year and they are confident they can do it again.
“We stopped a trigger ban last session that would have made abortion illegal right now, as we speak if we wouldn’t have stopped it. We have done it before and we can do it again and that’s exactly what we are planning on doing,” said Richters.
Right now there is no schedule set for a potential special session but Speaker Mike Hilgers has said he wants to see it called sometime this summer.
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