Neighbors take name off anti-abortion petition, say they felt 'misled'

• There are three petitions circulating in Nebraska related to abortion
• Some neighbors say they were misled when signing
• Watch to learn more about these three petitions

BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:

Community members tell me they feel bamboozled by misleading petitions, on Monday Protect Our Rights provided notaries so neighbors could get their names off the incorrect petition.

"It was very, very weird and I felt like he was very pushy, especially after I had said no, I had already signed it and he had said that it was the wrong one," said Rebecca Rotert.

There are three petitions circulating in Nebraska related to abortion.

One is called Protect Our Rights, which favors abortion rights and two that would further limit abortion in Nebraska, Protect Women and Children, and Choose Life Now.

Senator Megan Hunt says she believes the two anti-abortion petitions are deliberately using language to trick those for abortion rights in Nebraska into signing.

"There are two petitions circulating that have deliberately confusing languages that talk about the relationship between a doctor and a mother and then there is one that talks about exceptions for rape and incest. Those petitions are organized and funded by abortion opponents and they will not protect the right to abortion in Nebraska," said Hunt.

Hunt said petition gathers for Protect Women and Children haven't been reading their object statement to signers.

I contacted Protect women and children, to see what they had to say about the allegations and haven't heard back yet.

Monday Choose Life Now petitioners gathered to turn in their documents, there I spoke with David Zebolsky co-chair of Choose Life Now, he told me each of their signature gatherers have specific instructions to follow.

"Our requirement of our circulators is to read the object statement to everyone that signs that they understand clearly what it that they're signing. Were offering Nebraskans across the state the option to choose life," said Zeblosky.

Hunt invited 2 notaries to sit outside of her store so neighbors, like Rotert, could sign an affidavit and have their name removed if they signed the wrong petition.

"As I was doing it, he was really jumbled saying, well, this one says this for like abortion, but really, it, you know, it only means for the first trimester, but this ones for the 2nd and 3rd trimester. And I, I was like, ok, and I had really didn't have much context for it, but he, but then he was like, well, you signed the wrong one. This is the right one," said Rotert.

Protect our rights will have notaries again Tuesday from 8am to 8pm at 7601 Pacific Street in Omaha.

Choose life now will have a last chance drop off from 5:30 pm-7:00pm at 5632 S 48 St in Lincoln.