While ending one’s own pregnancy with pills isn’t illegal in the state, prosecutors went after the teen for disposing of the fetal remains.
and relied heavily on messages Meta turned over to the police in which the two discussed ending the teenager’s pregnancy with abortion pills on Facebook. It’s a scenario that advocates have long feared, in which social-media activity or other personal data are used to prosecute those seeking abortion care and the people who help them.
A Norfolk police detective had received a tip in April 2022 that Celeste Burgess had a stillbirth and that her mother helped her secretly bury the fetus, according to a search-warrant affidavit. Court documents show the detective went on to obtain Celeste’s medical records and determined that she had been around 28 weeks pregnant at the time.
According to the affidavit obtained by the Cut, the teen told police in an interview that she unexpectedly had a stillborn baby in the shower during the early hours of April 22, woke up her mother, and then drove north of town with her to bury the body. They had the help of a 22-year-old identified in court records as Tanner Barnhill, who told police that the Burgesses attempted to burn the body before burying it. An autopsy later confirmed the stillbirth.
Then, a friend of Celeste’s contacted the Madison County Attorney’s Office to say she had witnessed the teen “take the first of the two pills meant to cause a miscarriage,” according to the affidavit. She added that the Burgesses had several computers in their residence. The detective served a search warrant to Meta and obtained the women’s Facebook chat history.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Nebraska teen Celeste Burgess gets 90 days behind bars for late-term abortionCeleste Burgess, 19, of Norfolk, was hit with a 90-day jail sentence and two years’ probation at Madison County District Court on Thursday.
Read more »
Nebraska Teen Sentenced to 90 Days in Jail for Self-Managed AbortionCeleste Burgess also got two years probation for taking abortion pills and burying a stillborn fetus in 2022. Her mother is awaiting sentencing this fall.
Read more »
Nebraska Teen Sent to Jail Over Illegal AbortionA Nebraska teen who enlisted her mother’s help to obtain abortion pills in violation of state law has been sentenced to 90 days in jail.
Read more »
18-year-old Nebraska woman sentenced to 90 days in jail for burning fetus after abortionAn 18-year-old Nebraska woman was sentenced to 90 days in jail and two years of probation for burning and burying a fetus she aborted with her mother’s help.
Read more »
Study: Teen suicide rate dipped following COVID-19 school shutdowns, spiked when classes resumedA new study shows that teen suicide rates dropped during the COVID-19 pandemic school closures.
Read more »
Teen girl pinned underneath car after woman crashes into Pa. steakhouse: reportsThe teen, a restaurant employee, was washing windows. That’s when an 81-year-old woman drove her car into the front building after hitting a parked car.
Read more »