Facebook Turned Over Chat Messages Between Mother and Daughter Now Charged Over Abortion

[AZLD4Candidate]

Source: AOL News

Facebook turned over the chats of a mother and her daughter to Nebraska police after they were served with a warrant as part of an investigation into an illegal abortion, court documents show.

The investigation, which was launched in April before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, is one of the few known instances of Facebook’s turning over information to help law enforcement officials pursue an abortion case — but it is also an example of a scenario that abortion rights experts have warned will be more common as all abortions becomes illegal in many states.

Madison County prosecutors say Jessica Burgess, 41, acquired and gave abortion pills to her daughter, Celeste, who was 17 at the time, and then helped her bury and then rebury the fetus. The Norfolk Daily News first reported the case. The two were charged last month and have pleaded not guilty. A lawyer for the two women didn’t respond to a request for comment.

According to a sworn affidavit from Detective Ben McBride of the Norfolk Police Investigations Unit, police started with a tip from a woman who described herself as a friend of Celeste’s who said she saw her take the first pill in April.

Read more: https://www.aol.com/news/facebook-turned-over-chat-messages-001525289.html

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More reasons to hate Facebook and Zuckerborg!

[tonekat]

1. Not much of a "friend".

"...According to a sworn affidavit from Detective Ben McBride of the Norfolk Police Investigations Unit, police started with a tip from a woman who described herself as a friend of Celeste’s who said she saw her take the first pill in April."

I'm waiting for the finks who would turn a woman in to be scared to leave their homes.

[catrose]

4. Does Nebraska have a bounty hunter law like Texas?

[RussBLib]

2. Families have to use encrypted texts?

To escape the watchful eyes of social media?

I firmly believe America will pull out of this bullshit. Just don't know when.

[LeftInTX]

5. The girl showed the cops her messenger app and then they got a warrant

She didn't have an attorney or a parent with her

They asked her, "When did you have your miscarriage?" And she opened up her messenger app to check the date in front of the cops.

It's weird because she was questioned only a few days later...I would have remembered.

She was 6 months pregnant and this is not recommended for pills. (12 weeks is the cutoff, but I always read about women going further) The mother put her daughter's life at risk.

This happened after a friend went to the cops and told her that she had a friend who had a baby and buried it.

[Layzeebeaver]

15. A lot of folks are not taking your above note with full attention.

There is much self-incrimination going on here as well as terrible laws.

[LeftInTX]

17. Yeah, but sadly she was 17 and was questioned without an attorney or parent present

Unsavvy teens often do this stuff

[rockfordfile]

3. Don't use traitorbook

[not fooled]

6. Apparently, I've been banned from fb

After deleting my account a while back, I re-applied after finding that almost all the online forums for some things I needed information about had migrated to fb.

Nope, wasn't allowed to re-open an account. No explanation, no recourse. I'd never done anything dodgy, e.g. fake identities. The only thing that had changed was that I repeatedly ridiculed fuckerberg online--calling him fuckerberg and posting an infamous picture of him gazing adoringly at red don--and donated to Elizabeth Warren's presidential campaign.

While I doubt fuck sits around searching for deleterious comments and then exacting revenge, wouldn't be surprising to find that they have algorithms that screen for negative references to fb + donations to politicians who want to regulate the little shit's activities.

[Heather MC]

23. Facebook wanted to label me a political activist

IDre I am an American Citizen, and voter with an opinion.

however,I am a long way off from a political activist.

I rarely add new people to my friends list.
I keep my page private.
And I have never once referred to myself as a "political activist"

But nevertheless Fuckerberg wanted me to do some additional security thing they called Facebook Protect.

This 2 step process was originally reserved for political candidates. Facebook decided to extend it to people THEY HAVE LABELED POLITICAL ACTIVIST.

IT SEEMS like they tagging certain people as "Political Activist' right before the midterm elections.

And I just wonder what are they going to do with that list🤔

I mean they did accept Russian Rubles as payment for American political ads.

so I don't trust them 🤷🏾?♀️

So I refused to do the Facebook Protect Verification.

I am locked out of my accounts. not just the main one.

[not fooled]

25. Unsurprising

that fuck upped the ante on you. No question that fuck is more closely aligned with red don and the "libertarians." I question whether he is exercising the same care with RW "political activists."

Good for you for not giving in to their demands. The thing that frosts me about all this is that unfortunately fb has become the modern-day town square but is not publicly accessible. Instead it's a privately owned platform gated by a creep with a political agenda (completely unregulated ability to fuck up the world, for money) who is shutting people like me and you out of access to the premier source of information for e.g. local / FSBO real estate, hobbies, etc.

And, for the record, I never posted anything political on fb or even joined any political groups--but they knew I was on DU and what I'd posted there.

[Heather MC]

26. Oh well I somehow managed without their existence before 2009

I will manage.

I do miss Facebook market place. It was the only place we could by a used camper that wasn't a scam

[Layzeebeaver]

7. there is a bit of self-incriminating strangeness about this case

I am pro-choice, and hate these archaic theological restrictive laws banning abortion.

But when you KNOW there is a law (and you break it within its jurisdiction) and you chat about it with other people, keep records about your activity and then you show it to the cops - you are just asking for it.

I don't like any bit of this, and I feel very bad for these women, but this should be an example of how not to behave in this new anti-Roe world.

You can't likely change a law by breaking it.

[AZLD4Candidate]

9. Outlawing people just talking about something seems to violate the 1st amendment no matter where

it is discussed.

Could this be a test case?

[Layzeebeaver]

11. perhaps

however, the "FriendWitness" mentioned actually seeing the person doing the deed. That's not 1st amendment.

Plus its not illegal to self-incriminate - that remains your right.

Also(My understanding) the 1st amendment prohibits the state from passing laws that infringe on free speech. It never stops the state for prosecuting your for saying something ("Fire!" in a Theater, "I'm going to kill you", defamations, etc.) that harms others.

[AZLD4Candidate]

12. So, are you saying you think this type of law and prosecution is acceptable?

[Layzeebeaver]

14. NO I did not say that.

But to answer your question - It is unacceptable to me. However at the moment, until overturned in a structured permanent manner, it is an allowed prosecutorial strategy.

[LeftInTX]

16. There is alot going on with this case

Last edited Thu Aug 11, 2022, 10:27 AM - Edit history (2)

If true:
Mother obtained two pills for her daughter who was either 23 weeks and 2 days pregnant or 28 weeks pregnant. ( Miscarriage was April 22..Affidavit says 23 weeks/2 days with a due date of July 3 which would make her about 28 weeks pregnant. The dates are contradictory)

In the US, the pills can only be prescribed during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
This would then violate laws about taking "medication as prescribed". Plan C is strictly regulated in all 50 states.

Celeste could have sought treatment via telemedicine prior to 12 weeks and obtained the pills legally.

Additionally, her mother could have also purchased the pills underground and gave them to her prior to 12 weeks.
(Although this would not be "legal", it would have been the safer thing to do)
Studies have shown that women further along than 12 weeks need more pills.
Celeste is lucky that she miscarried safely instead of having complications
We don't know why she waited until she was 24 weeks, however 24 weeks is also considered viability
The only state that allows abortion after 24 weeks is New York and these are only for cases of health, life endangerment or lethal fetal anomalies.
It appears that Celeste had prenatal care on March 8th, so did she change her mind about her pregnancy?

A few days after she miscarried, Celeste's "friend" went to the police and said that they buried a fetus/baby
With the assistance of Celeste and her mother, police exhumed the fetus
Autopsy shows the birth was stillborn
Celeste, her mom and a young man were charged with an illegal burying law.

Celeste was then questioned by a cop about the illegal burying.
She did not have an attorney or parent with her while being questioned.
The cop asked her what date she miscarried and Celeste opened up her phone and went through her messenger app in front of the cop.
Police then obtained a warrant for her fb messenger

https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/22129444/view-img-17.pdf
https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/22129445/view-img-19.pdf

Is there over reach in this prosecution here? You bet!!!
Why is the affidavit contradictory with regards to her pregnancy due date and number of weeks pregnant? Is she 5 months or is she 7 month pregnant?
Can they prove alot of this? I'm not sure.
If Celeste had obtained an abortion by a provider at 24 weeks, the provider would have committed a crime.
However, we don't know if there is actually a record of pills being purchased
Did Celeste confess to taking the pills or is this what the friend is saying?
Did the pills cause Celeste to miscarry?

The only hard evidence they have is that Celeste, her mom and a young man buried a fetus.
We don't know if the fetus was 23 weeks/2 days or 28 weeks?

If 28 weeks, I'm pretty sure this was a total stillbirth. The pills could have caused premature labor, but baby would have breathed on it's own. Autopsy shows that no air was in the lungs. The pills would not cause this.

Is this FB fault? No, Celeste showed them the messages and the police obtained a warrant. They could have obtained a warrant for SMS texts if Celeste and her mom had been texting SMS

[JudyM]

20. Their conversation about it was just gathered as evidence, it isn't, itself, the crime.

All charges were related to performing an abortion, concealing a body and providing false information.

[reACTIONary]

8. "Your phone is a cop" ...

This has nothing (specifically) to do with Facebook. It was an opsec failure. FB is just one communication channel amongst many, and unless they are set up to make it impossible, they will all be responsive to a subpoena. Your phone is a cop - remember that.

[AZLD4Candidate]

10. The law is unconstitutional to start with.

Are we that much of a police state now?

[reACTIONary]

19. What law? The fourth amendment to the constitution clearly...

... authorizes search and seizure "upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized".

https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-4/

[turbinetree]

13. I just have to ask....did "Meta" (Facebook) now in a lawsuit for copyright name and laws

or Zukes.......ever tell law enforcement about what the traitor and his fellow traitors were doing awhile back, instead of worrying about being the self righteous police between and mother and a daughter and there privacy.....well in the case of terrorists and other cretins this headline is from CNBC......it about says everything.....

TECH
Trump got a free pass from Twitter and Facebook, and the result was a storming of the Capitol
PUBLISHED THU, JAN 7 2021 10:21 AM EST UPDATED THU, JAN 7 2021 11:18 AM EST

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/07/facebook-twitter-fueled-trumps-conspiracies-resulting-in-violence.html

and this...........

HOW FACEBOOK WORKS FOR TRUMP
Donald Trump won the presidency by using the social network’s advertising machinery in exactly the way the company wanted. He’s poised to do it again.

By Ian Bogost and Alexis C. Madrigal
APRIL 17, 2020

maybe zukes and the gang can go back to the capital and explain this BS again.....here is a remainder.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Hearing on Data Privacy and Protection

and then this...

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2020/04/how-facebooks-ad-technology-helps-trump-win/606403/


Still don't use that platform.......

[bluedigger]

18. I'm getting confused over which warrants are proper and to be complied with.

And which ones should be ignored, and the whether the targets should be celebrated or castigated, respectively.

[purr-rat beauty]

21. If these horrible laws weren't in place

Women and girls can handle their conception respectfully and safely. This is going to make criminals out of people who are not bad people who become desperate. It is fucking cruel. So, where is the sperm donor in all this? He should be charged as an accessory then. OH! And doesn't this violate parental rights? Isn't that something the assholes are crying about across all the red states? Fuck all of them.

[Vinca]

22. As much as I hate Facebook and Zuck, they had no choice but to obey the warrant. The real

villains are Nebraska legislators who want to be in charge of all the uteri in the state. It's such an invasion of privacy, it's hard to comprehend. Vote all Republicans out of office and take sanity back.

[867-5309.]

24. "Charged Over Abortion"

I guess we should get used to that phrase.