Facebook hands over chats to cops in post-Roe abortion case

[SerendipityJane]

www.theregister.com/2022/08/10/meta_abortion_charges/

Private Facebook chats between a Nebraska mother and her daughter has been used by law enforcement to build a criminal case against the teen for getting a now-illegal abortion in her home state

Saw this earlier, dreadful 😢

This case is horrific but a bit complicated. The abortion took place in April, so is not affected by the recent decision. The issue is that they ordered pills off the Internet and the girl was nearly six months gone. The articles haven't said how many weeks, but prior to Dobbs, the Roe standard was 24 weeks. What's awful and sad is that if it was prior to 24 weeks, she could have had a legal procedure but may not have had the funds to get one.

I don't doubt that the current climate is contributing to the prosecution, but it's not strictly a problem from the recent decision. A "friend" actually tipped off the police.

I saw this. I'm very much pro choice and it's absolutely appalling that she had to do essentially a DIY abortion by her Mum purchasing pills off the internet, which could have endangered her life without medical care.

It does say though that at the time of the abortion she was 23 weeks, and so it would also have been illegal pre-Roe, because the limit in that state was 20 weeks.

The headline in op’s article is misleading on purpose. (Not your fault.) The abortion and the investigation happened pre-Roe.

This is a strange and gruesome one.

Those abortion pills could not have been used safely if she was that far along? Aren’t they called the morning after pill? Maybe they didn’t have the money for an abortion but that’s so risky.

The daughter was 23 weeks pregnant and abortion in Nebraska was legal up to 22 weeks. (I think it’s 20 weeks now post-Roe.)

Celeste Burgess, who is now 18 years old, has been charged as an adult with removing/concealing/abandoning a dead human body, concealing the death of another person and false reporting. (The daughter hasn’t been charged with an illegal abortion.)
…
Celeste told her mom “Remember we burn the evidence.”
…

The teen then 'enacted the help of her mother, Jessica Burgess, and the two of them buried the child together,' the affidavit states. Jessica then reportedly told others 'they needed to dig the child's body up and then burn it.'
…
**
The report noted that 'the placement of the fetus into a plastic bag raise the possibility of asphyxia due to suffocation.' It also indicated the fetus showed signs of 'thermal injuries.'

Messages exchanged between Jessica and her mom are in the Daily Mail link.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11097405/Facebook-handed-chats-Nebraska-mom-17-year-old-daughter-discussing-abortion.html#reader-comments

nypost.com/2022/08/09/nebraska-mom-and-daughter-charged-for-burning-burying-aborted-fetus/

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion_in_Nebraska

The “Post-Roe” rhetoric and reporting is very poor journalism, but it’s important that women in America be aware that their online communications can be used liked this. And in a post-Roe America there will be a lot more women who are at risk of their attempts to get an abortion being found out and their online communication being used to condemn and convict them.

To be fair, the article is also misleading by saying 'private Facebook chats'. The T&Cs of Meta (Facebook) are clear when they state what information they collect about you and that includes the content of messages in Messenger. It also states they are subject to applicable law. They had no choice once they were subpoenaed.

@the winter soldier

Yes. I don't think this is an "Evil Facebook" issue. It's in the nature of a lot of online communication that your messages are stored somewhere outside of your control. Law enforcement can get hold of them to prosecute for abortion as easily as for any other crime that's of a similar level in the local criminal code.