One option would be an injection into a woman’s abdomen or cervix that would terminate the pregnancy before the fetus is removed. Another option could be using medication to induce labor. Both add to the complexity and cost of an abortion, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research and policy group with ties to Planned Parenthood.

Geist said she intends to pursue the bill despite questions about its constitutionality. She said those can be dealt with by the courts.

If passed, the measure would affect only a small percentage of abortions in Nebraska.

Statistics collected by the Department of Health and Human Services show there were 32 dilation and evacuation abortions in the state in 2018, or 1.5% of the total. The vast majority — 1,226 abortions — were medication-induced, with the second-most-common method being suction-curettage — 766 abortions.

LB 814 would prohibit abortions in which clamps, forceps or similar instruments are used to remove pieces of a living fetus. It would not apply if suction is used to remove pieces. Geist said the bill was not intended to address suction abortions.