‘Sanctuary city for the unborn’ petition falls short in Bellevue, Nebraska

Despite organizers having turned in more than 7,000 signatures on a petition to outlaw abortion within the Bellevue city limits, the measure will not advance.

That’s because 20% of all legally eligible voters in the city must sign a petition before the city council can be made to take up an issue. In Bellevue, that number is 7,812. 

According to the Sarpy County Election Commission, organizers submitted 7,372 signatures, 2,772 of which were disallowed as coming from people not within the Bellevue city limits.The news was released this week by Bellevue Assistant City Attorney Annie E. Mathews.

Petition organizers are barred from refiling the petition for two years but do have another option in the meantime. 

Had the petition succeeded, an ordinance banning abortion within the city limits would’ve been put to a vote by the City Council. If they declined to do consider it, or voted against the measure, it would then be put to a vote of the people at a special election. 

In a letter to the Bellevue City Council and Mayor Rusty Hike, petition organizer Judith Mansisidor has asked for the issue to be put on the council agenda for consideration regardless of the petition outcome. “We’ll continue to ask,” she said. 

There is no prohibition against the city council considering and passing the ordinance, despite the petition falling short. The ban on abortion has already succeeded in eight other Nebraska towns, but none has a population larger than 1,000 people. Bellevue has more than 63,000 people. 

“There’s council meeting after council meeting. We can submit request after request. The fight for every human life is a battle worth sticking it out for,” Mansisidor said. “There’s many options, but the one that’s not an option is to quit and give up.”