Neb. lawmakers pass new pre-abortion requirements

Nebraska lawmakers have given final approval to a first-of-its-kind bill that supporters say could help prevent post-abortion medical problems, but opponents say is really meant as a barrier to abortions.

The bill passed Monday now goes to Gov. Dave Heineman, who says he supports it.

The bill requires women to be screened by doctors or health professionals to determine whether they’ve been pressured into having abortions. Women also must be screened for risk factors indicating they could have mental or physical problems after an abortion.

Doctors who fail to do the screenings before performing abortions won’t face criminal charges or lose their medical licenses, but the women could sue them later.