Protect Our Rights
Protect Our Rights was a campaign to support abortion access in Nebraska by supporting Nebraska Initiative 439 and opposing Initiative 434 in the 2024 election. 1 Initiative 439 would have “[legalized] abortion until fetal viability” while Initiative 434 would have prohibited most abortions after the first trimester of pregnancy. 2 Groups including Planned Parenthood of Nebraska, ACLU Nebraska, Nebraska Civic Engagement Table, and the Fairness Project supported the campaign. 3
Contents
Initiative 439 was defeated by a 49 percent to 51 percent vote. 2 Initiative 434 passed with a 55 percent to 45 percent vote. 4
Funding
The campaign was funded by liberal organizations which in total donated over $3.5 million to the campaign. As of July 30, 2024, Planned Parenthood of Nebraska, an abortion advocacy group, was the largest donor to the campaign with $972,929 in donations, making up approximately 25 percent of total contributions. ACLU Nebraska was the second largest donor to the campaign with $689,073 in donations, making up over 18 percent of total contributions. The Nebraska Appleseed Action Fund was third largest with $317,906 in donations. The Women’s Fund of Omaha was fourth largest with $162,481 in donations, and Nebraska Civic Engagement Table was fifth with $107,705 in donations. 1
Conflicting Initiatives
Initiative 439
Nebraska Initiative 439 was a pro-abortion initiative. The Protect Our Rights campaign stated it supported the initiative because, “the government should not be involved in personal decisions […] Nebraskans deserve to make their own decisions about pregnancy and abortion.” 2 Former Mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg also showed public support for Initiative 439, as well as the Hopewell Fund, New Venture Fund, and Think Big America. 2
The Hopewell Fund is a left-of-center nonprofit managed by philanthropic consulting firm Arabella Advisors. 5 New Venture Fund, the largest nonprofit managed by the Arabella Advisors, is a nonprofit with over $650 million in revenue that provides fiscal sponsorship to left-of-center organizations, making them projects of NVF instead of becoming their own nonprofits. 6 Think Big America is a nonprofit founded by Illinois Governor JB Pritzker (D). Think Big America was founded in 2023 to support pro-abortion legislation all around the United States. 7
Initiative 434
Initiative 434 would restrict abortion access with the exception of “medical emergencies for the mother or the pregnancy resulting from sexual assault.” 4 Supporters of this initiative included U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE), U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE), and Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen (R). Organizations which supported this bill include the right-of-center Common Sense Nebraska, Nebraska Family Alliance, Nebraska Right to Life, Priests for Life, and Students for Life. Pediatrician Catherine Brooks stated she supported Initiative 434 because “Initiative 439 […] lets government officials interfere in medical decisions and takes care out of the hands of licensed physicians, when women in crisis need them the most.”’ 4 Protect Our Rights opposed Initiative 434. 1