19yrs old Girl sentenced to jail for illegally aborting her baby at 6 1/2 months, then burn and bury the body
An 18-year-old woman from northeastern Nebraska was given a 90-day jail sentence and two years of probation for burning and burying a fetus she had aborted with her mother’s help. The case has caught the attention of advocates as many states are trying to restrict abortion access.
The woman, Celeste Burgess, pleaded guilty to hiding or abandoning a dead body earlier this year. Two other smaller charges were dropped in an agreement with the prosecutors. The judge said she should serve some time in jail to show that her actions were serious and against the law.
Celeste and her mother, Jessica Burgess, who is 42 years old, were accused of working together to end the pregnancy. The abortion happened when the woman was well into her third trimester, and this was against the law in Nebraska, where abortions were not allowed after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Jessica Burgess bought abortion pills online and gave them to her daughter when she was 17 years old in the spring of 2022.
Jessica Burgess also pleaded guilty to giving an illegal abortion, lying to the authorities, and tampering with the fetal remains. Some charges were dropped as part of her plea deal, and she will be sentenced later.
The investigation started after a tip, and the police checked Facebook messages between the two women, where they talked about ending the pregnancy and getting rid of the evidence. The police then found the burned fetal remains buried in a field.
The decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade last year has led to discussions about abortion rights. In Nebraska, lawmakers tried to restrict abortion access, and they mentioned the Norfolk case as an example of how women seeking abortions could face criminal charges.
Although they couldn’t pass a six-week abortion ban, they later approved a 12-week ban by adding it to a bill meant to limit gender-affirming care for transgender youth. Some people argue that this move went against Nebraska’s requirement that legislative bills focus on only one topic.
