A Nebraska state lawmaker has vowed to filibuster every bill in the legislative session if Republicans don’t immediately withdraw two bills seeking to ban abortion and gender-affirming care.
Nebraska state Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh (D-Omaha) promised to obstruct any legislation from moving forward until the bills are retracted late last week in a speech on the state’s unicameral legislative floor.
The anti-abortion measure would ban almost all abortions in the state after a supposed “fetal heartbeat” is detected — a phrase that physicians specializing in reproductive health say is inaccurate, as the sound generated by an ultrasound early on in pregnancy doesn’t actually indicate that a heart has developed within an embryo. The anti-trans bill would ban physicians in the state from providing transgender youth with gender-affirming care, which can often be life-saving.
“If this legislature collectively decides that legislating hate against children is our priority, then I am going to make it painful; painful for everyone” in the legislature, Cavanaugh said in her speech. “Because if you want to inflict pain upon our children, I am going to inflict pain upon this body.”
“I have nothing, nothing but time,” Cavanaugh went on. “And I am going to use all of it.”
Republicans in state legislatures across the U.S., including in Nebraska, are increasingly introducing legislation that targets LGBTQ youth, barring them from participating in sports and restricting what kinds of treatment they can receive from their doctors, among other measures. One tracker notes that, in 2023 alone, lawmakers have introduced anti-trans proposals in at least 38 states across the country.
Cavanaugh acknowledged that her stance will “annoy” some people. “I want you to genuinely be frustrated to all get out with me,” she said.
The Nebraska lawmaker stressed her dedication to her promise, noting that, after a filibuster last week, she slept on the floor of her office before attending committee hearings 20 minutes later.
“You can not stop me. I will not be stopped,” she said.
Cavanaugh reiterated her promise in a Monday night interview with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow.
“I’m just going to practically make sure that my colleagues have to make a choice about what it is they want to do, what our job is. Is our job to legislate hate, or is our job to govern and work on tax cuts and work on the economy?” Cavanaugh said. “So I’m forcing their hand.”
Help us Prepare for Trump’s Day One
Trump is busy getting ready for Day One of his presidency – but so is Truthout.
Trump has made it no secret that he is planning a demolition-style attack on both specific communities and democracy as a whole, beginning on his first day in office. With over 25 executive orders and directives queued up for January 20, he’s promised to “launch the largest deportation program in American history,” roll back anti-discrimination protections for transgender students, and implement a “drill, drill, drill” approach to ramp up oil and gas extraction.
Organizations like Truthout are also being threatened by legislation like HR 9495, the “nonprofit killer bill” that would allow the Treasury Secretary to declare any nonprofit a “terrorist-supporting organization” and strip its tax-exempt status without due process. Progressive media like Truthout that has courageously focused on reporting on Israel’s genocide in Gaza are in the bill’s crosshairs.
As journalists, we have a responsibility to look at hard realities and communicate them to you. We hope that you, like us, can use this information to prepare for what’s to come.
And if you feel uncertain about what to do in the face of a second Trump administration, we invite you to be an indispensable part of Truthout’s preparations.
In addition to covering the widespread onslaught of draconian policy, we’re shoring up our resources for what might come next for progressive media: bad-faith lawsuits from far-right ghouls, legislation that seeks to strip us of our ability to receive tax-deductible donations, and further throttling of our reach on social media platforms owned by Trump’s sycophants.
We’re preparing right now for Trump’s Day One: building a brave coalition of movement media; reaching out to the activists, academics, and thinkers we trust to shine a light on the inner workings of authoritarianism; and planning to use journalism as a tool to equip movements to protect the people, lands, and principles most vulnerable to Trump’s destruction.
We urgently need your help to prepare. As you know, our December fundraiser is our most important of the year and will determine the scale of work we’ll be able to do in 2025. We’ve set two goals: to raise $110,000 in one-time donations and to add 1350 new monthly donors by midnight on December 31.
Today, we’re asking all of our readers to start a monthly donation or make a one-time donation – as a commitment to stand with us on day one of Trump’s presidency, and every day after that, as we produce journalism that combats authoritarianism, censorship, injustice, and misinformation. You’re an essential part of our future – please join the movement by making a tax-deductible donation today.
If you have the means to make a substantial gift, please dig deep during this critical time!
With gratitude and resolve,
Maya, Negin, Saima, and Ziggy