OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – The number of abortions performed in Nebraska
dropped 9 percent in the first half of the year over the same period in 2010.
Nebraska Right to Life attributed the decline to enactment of an abortion ban tied to the disputed notion that a fetus can feel pain at 20 weeks. The law that went into effect in October targeted Dr. LeRoy Carhart and his Bellevue clinic.  The group’s executive director, Julie Schmit-Albin, says the law forced Carhart’s practice into other states, which has caused the drop in abortions.  A message left for Carhart through the Center for Reproductive Rights wasn’t immediately returned.  The state says there were 1,153 abortions performed in Nebraska
in the first six months of 2011. The figure was 1,288 for the same period last year.