LINCOLN- Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh said she was taken off-guard, but not surprised, this week when she learned a room for pregnant and nursing mothers at the Nebraska Capitol was being used as an office.

Cavanaugh had previously fought for the creation of the room and secured private funding to renovate it.

“I feel like it’s been a disrespectful process from the beginning," she told The World-Herald Wednesday.

Sen. Dan Hughes of Venango, who made the decision, said it was strictly practical: The room isn't used often, he said, and an ongoing, decade-long Capitol renovation project requires flexibility and shuffling of offices. The move is temporary, he said, and in the meantime there is an alternative.

His reasoning has done little to quell concerns voiced by Cavanaugh and others frustrated by the decision.

Cavanaugh, who represents District 6 in west-central Omaha, spoke about the issue during floor debate on Wednesday. State lawmakers are currently in Lincoln for a special session on redistricting.

“It is devastating, disappointing, disheartening," Cavanaugh said during debate. "Pro-life state, my butt. If we can’t support the working mothers in this building — man — it’s like talking out of both sides of your mouth, people."

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