Facebook under fire for handing over private messages in teen abortion case

Facebook has been roundly attacked for sharing private messages with Nebraska police in a criminal abortion case against a mother and her teenage daughter. Jessica Burgess stands accused of helping her daughter Celeste Burgess, who was 17 at the time, in carrying out an abortion before burning and burying the foetus in Norfolk in April.The case was built around texts the mother and daughter exchanged via Facebook’s Messenger platform, which were provided to law enforcement by the social media giant. The messages allegedly showed that Jessica Burgess obtained abortion medication for her daughter and instructed her on how to use them when she was 23 weeks pregnant – beyond Nebraska’s 20-week cut-off. The mother has pleaded not guilty to all five criminal charges, including three felonies, in the Madison County district court. Her daughter is now being tried as an adult and has pleaded not guilty on three counts, including a felony. Officials have also charged a 22-year-old man for helping the mother and daughter in burying the foetus.The case – which comes on the heels of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v Wade – has sparked widespread outrage against Facebook with Messenger users being urged to switch over to…
Read More