Nebraska

OMAHA, Neb. – A 17-year-old boy was confirmed Wednesday as the 23rd child abandoned under the state's unique safe-haven law, as the governor prepared to address changes in the law.

State officials said the boy's stepfather and mother took him to BryanLGH Medical Center West in Lincoln late Tuesday and that the boy was in state care.

Lincoln Police Capt. Jim Thoms said the parents told officers the boy wouldn't follow their rules and that they couldn't afford some programs he needed. more >>

LINCOLN, Neb. – A judge has thrown out a Nebraska legislator's lawsuit against God, saying the Almighty wasn't properly served due to his unlisted home address. State Sen. Ernie Chambers filed the lawsuit last year seeking a permanent injunction against God.

He said God has made terroristic threats against the senator and his constituents in Omaha, inspired fear and caused "widespread death, destruction and terrorization of millions upon millions of the Earth's inhabitants."

Chambers has said he filed the lawsuit to make the point that everyone should have access to the courts regardless of whether they are rich or poor. more >>

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Nebraska's new "safe-haven" law allowing parents to abandon unwanted children at hospitals with no questions asked is unique in a significant way: It goes beyond babies and potentially permits the abandonment of anyone under 19.

While lawmakers may not have intended it, the month-old law raises the possibility that frustrated parents could drop off misbehaving teens or even severely disabled older children with impunity.

"Whether the kid is disabled or unruly or just being a hormonal teenager, the state is saying: 'Hey, we have a really easy option for you,'" said Adam Pertman, executive director of a New York adoption institute and a frequent critic of safe-haven laws. more >>

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - State Sen. Ernie Chambers says his lawsuit against God might seem funny but that doesn't mean it doesn't have a serious point.

Chambers asked Douglas County District Judge Marlon Polk on Tuesday to let his lawsuit proceed. Chambers said he wants to make the point that everyone should have access to the courts regardless of whether they are poor or have the means of billionaire Warren Buffett of Omaha.

"What brought me to the point of filing this lawsuit was the ill-advised attempts by certain legislators to prevent the filing of certain lawsuits," Chambers said. more >>

A Nebraska legislative committee, with the backing of a statewide pro-life group, has advanced a new version of a bill that had earlier been touted incorrectly by some media outlets as a compromise between pro-life groups and legislators who back cloning for research.

The Judiciary Committee had passed a version of LB 606 earlier this month to ban cloning for reproductive purposes.

Pro-life advocates, however, had expressed concerns over at least four sections in the measure, with Nebraska Right to Life arguing that the wording would have allowed scientists to freely clone and kill human embryos for research purposes. more >>