Nebraska approves Planned Parenthood license plates

The Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles recently approved the distribution of license plates benefitting Planned Parenthood of the Heartland after the state authorized "Choose Life" plates, the Lincoln Journal Star reported.

What happened?

Earlier this year, Gov. Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) approved a bill authorizing "Choose Life" license plates in Nebraska.

"For pro-life Nebraskans, this is a big day," Ricketts said in April when he signed the bill.

According to the Journal Star, motorists seeking the pro-life license plate will pay a $5 application fee. Funds raised will benefit the state's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.

Ricketts unveiled the design of the plates last month:

The pro-life plates will go on sale in January.

How did Planned Parenthood respond?

Planned Parenthood of the Heartland said in a Thursday statement that it submitted 263 applications this week for a pro-choice license plate. The state requires 250 applications in order for an organization to request a specialty license plate.

The organization said it sought its own plates — which will read “My Body, My Choice” and bear Planned Parenthood’s logo — to “counter the fringe anti-choice organizations” that sought the pro-life plates.

“‘My Body, My Choice’ license plates are an opportunity for Nebraskans to voice their own opinion on issues of women’s health – opinions that don’t necessarily reflect the opinion of the governor, lieutenant governor and some senators,” Meg Mikolajczyk, associate general counsel and senior public affairs manager for the Planned Parenthood affiliate, said in a statement.

The Journal Star reported motorists who want a Planned Parenthood plate will pay a $70 fee since those plates were not created by the state’s Legislature.