LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A bill that would allow more women to qualify for Medicaid family planning services has stalled in the Nebraska Legislature.

Supporters fell two votes short Thursday of the 25 needed to advance it, while 21 lawmakers opposed it.

Sen. Jeremy Nordquist of Omaha says his measure would have prevented unwanted pregnancies, saving the state millions each year and significantly reducing the number of abortions in Nebraska. It also would have funneled some of those savings to the Every Woman Matters program, which funds cancer screenings and mammograms for women ages 40 to 64.

Opponents argued the bill’s savings were only hypothetical, and described it as a partial Medicaid expansion. Abortion opponents said the bill was the incorrect way to effectively reduce abortions.