A 42-year-old woman was sentenced to two years in prison Friday for acquiring abortion pills that her teenage daughter used to end a pregnancy, The New York Times reported.
Jessica Burgess, a resident of Norfolk, Nebraska, was charged by police after they discovered in Facebook messages that she schemed with her 17-year-old daughter to end the pregnancy last year and "burn the evidence."
She was initially charged with concealing a stillbirth. However, after obtaining a warrant for Meta, law enforcement officials found evidence of a medically induced abortion, leading to new charges.
According to prosecutors, Burgess ordered the pills online and gave them to her daughter during the third trimester of her pregnancy, later burying the evidence.
Burgess pleaded guilty in July to violating Nebraska's abortion law, providing a law enforcement officer with false information, and removing or concealing human skeletal remains.
Her daughter was sentenced months ago to 90 days in jail and two years of probation after pleading guilty to removing or concealing human skeletal remains. She was released on Sept. 11 and attended the recent trial.
The police investigation began in late April 2022, before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and when abortion was banned in Nebraska after 20 weeks from conception.
Republican Gov. Jim Pillen signed a 12-week ban into law this May, including regulation of puberty blockers for minors and a ban on gender-altering surgeries for minors, which takes effect on Oct. 1.
Luca Cacciatore, a Newsmax general assignment writer, is based in Arlington, Virginia, reporting on news and politics.
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