There’s a very good chance that before this summer is over at least one person if not numerous people will walk up to you and ask you to sign a petition to make abortion legal in Nebraska up until the time of viability.

Before you decide to sign or not sign the petition, and before the election next November, I ask that your decision is an informed choice.

Now I’m not going to tell you what that choice should be. That’s up to you. Two decent, honorable people can look at the same facts and come up with differing conclusions. And I respect that.

The problem is too many people make their decisions based on emotion and rhetoric without looking any deeper into the topic.

I have spoken to OBGYN doctors about what abortion in the real world is like. These doctors didn’t talk about it from a religious or political point of view but purely from a medical point of view.

Here’s some of what they told me:

Contrary to what many preachers and politicians say, women are not carrying a baby to term and then deciding to abort it. Common sense would tell you that if she carries the child that long she wants that baby. And when the fetus becomes viable it’s not an abortion, it’s a delivery.

I understand the reason the anti-abortion people use that imagery. It’s a powerful, emotionally charged image that only the most heartless person could support. The problem is it’s not true.

Very few late term abortions are performed and those that are performed are due to a medical necessity.

 These doctors also told me of the situations many of these women find themselves in. Do some women use abortion as a form of birth control? I’m sure some do. But contrary to what the anti-abortion people would have you believe most women don’t.

Some would have you believe that abortion is an easy choice for these women. I have known women that have had abortions and without exception none of them made it on a whim. Each one has their own unique set of circumstances. I’m not going to pretend I can relate to their situation. I’m also not going to judge.

I have also known women that put their babies up for adoption. That too was a difficult gut-wrenching decision. Likewise, I will not pretend that I can relate to their situation and I’m not going to judge.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that between now and next November there will be a lot of emotionally charged slogans trying to get you, the voter, to join their side. Many of these slogans and talking points have been written by advertising professionals and tested in focus groups to have the biggest impact. But I hope you’ll take the emotion out of it and find out what it’s really like on your own.

I don’t believe it has to be an either/or situation. I believe that you can be against abortion and still think it should be an available legal option. I also believe that the best way to stop abortions is through education and birth control. Not by threatening women and doctors with criminal consequences.

Judging by the results in so called red states like Kansas and Ohio, it appears that what many people say when they are talking to their friends from church is much different than how they vote when they have the anonymity of their polling place.

The people behind this petition drive are confident they will be able to get enough signatures to put it on the ballot. I do worry that the Governor and other high-ranking officials will do their best to stop that from happening. I fear the Nebraska Supreme court might find some excuse to keep it off the ballot just like they did with Medical Marijuana a few years ago.

The United States Supreme Court has ruled that this very personal issue should be left up to the states. So now Nebraska it will soon be our turn to decide. Regardless of your decision please make sure it’s an informed, and not just an emotional one.

Tom Becka is a long time Nebraska broadcaster who for over 30 years has been covering Omaha and Midwest issues on both radio and TV. He has been a guest on numerous national cable and news shows, filled in for nationally syndicated talk radio programs and Talkers Magazine has recognized him as one of the Top 100 talk show hosts in the country 10 times. Never afraid to ruffle some feathers, his ‘Becka’s Beat’ commentaries can be found online on Youtube and other digital platforms.