Facebook messages lead to abortion charges for mother and daughter
Social media users have been warned that Facebook messaging isn’t as private as we think it is, with users being urged to even delete their Facebook accounts after private messages between two women were handed over to police and led to them being charged.
Jessica Burgess was charged after allegedly obtaining and giving abortion pills to her daughter Celeste earlier this year.
The then-17-year-old was 23 weeks pregnant when she and her mum discussed using medication to induce an abortion and burn the foetus afterwards.
The pair were initially charged with the felony of removing or concealing a body, as well as concealing the death of another person and false reporting.
But, after receiving a tip from a woman who said she was a friend of Celeste’s and saw her take an abortion pill, detective Ben McBride then applied for a warrant to seize laptops and phones from the pair, and compelled Facebook to turn over messages they sent on the platform.
As a result of reviewing the messages, Jessica was also charged with performing or attempting an abortion at more than 20 weeks of pregnancy - which is illegal under a Nebraska law enacted after Roe v. Wade was overturned - and performing an abortion as a non-licenced physician.
When they were first interviewed, Jessica and Celeste told investigators the baby was born unexpectedly as a stillborn in the shower, before taking the foetus and burying it several miles out of town.
However, court documents said the body showed signs of “thermal wounds”, and that the daughter confirmed that she and her mother burned the foetus in an exchange where she wrote that they would “burn the evidence afterward”.
The two women pleaded not guilty to the charges at a hearing last week, where the prosecutor said it was the first time he has charged anyone for illegally performing an abortion after 20 weeks.
Before the controversial overturning of Roe v. Wade, states weren’t allowed to enforce abortion bans before the point where the foetus is considered viable outside the womb, which is roughly 24 weeks.
In one of the messages, Jessica tells her daughter she has obtained the medication and instructs her on how to use them.
According to court documents written by a detective, Celeste “talks about how she can’t wait to get the ‘thing’ out of her body”.
“I will finally be able to wear jeans,” one message read.
Meta, Facebook’s parent company, said the warrants from investigators hadn’t mentioned abortion, but the case has raised concerns about how data companies collect could help prosecutors enforce abortion restrictions.
#DeleteFacebook has since been trending online, with many sharing their fury and urging women to delete their accounts.
“Every woman should delete Facebook right now,” 19-year-old activist Olivia Julianna wrote.
Journalist Emily Crockett noted that the case occurred before Roe was overturned, arguing it was “just a preview of what’s to come”.
“If you don’t #DeleteFacebook, at least make sure you never talk about anything over Facebook Messenger that you wouldn’t want turned over to the police,” she added.
Image: Getty Images