Facebook user’s messages bring abortion charges in Nebraska

Protesters lining the street around the front of the Nebraska State Capitol during an Abortion Rights Rally held on July 4, 2022, in Lincoln, Nebraska. A Nebraska woman has been charged in early June with helping her teenage daughter end her pregnancy at about 24 weeks after investigators uncovered Facebook messages in which the two discussed using medication to induce an abortion and plans to burn the fetus afterward. — Lincoln Journal Star via AP

A Nebraska woman was charged with two felonies related to an illegal abortion after authorities discovered information about the pregnancy through private messages on Facebook Messenger, according to court documents. The case renewed debate about how law enforcement may use social media accounts in cases involving reproductive choices.

The messages were collected from Facebook parent company Meta Platforms Inc using a search warrant after investigators in June requested the woman’s personal information to determine whether she had committed other crimes, including concealing the death of another person.