Nebraska mom pleads guilty to giving daughter pills for abortion, helping bury the fetus
MADISON, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska mother pleaded guilty Friday to giving her 17-year-old daughter pills for an illegal abortion last year and helping to burn and bury the fetus.
Under a plea agreement, Jessica Burgess, 42, of Norfolk, admitted to providing an abortion after 20 weeks of gestation, false reporting and tampering with human skeletal remains. Charges of concealing the death of another person and abortion by someone other than a licensed physician were dismissed.
Burgess was accused of helping her then-17-year-old daughter, Celeste Burgess, end her pregnancy. Madison County District Court documents show she ordered abortion pills on the internet.
After the teen aborted the 29-week-old fetus, the two burned the remains and buried them in a field north of Norfolk in northeastern Nebraska. Authorities later found the burned fetus.
Madison County Attorney Joe Smith has said it’s the first time he has charged anyone with illegally performing an abortion after 20 weeks, a restriction that was passed in 2010. In May, Republican Gov. Jim Pillen signed a 12-week abortion ban.
Jessica Burgess is set for sentencing Sept. 22. Two of the counts against her are felonies; one is a misdemeanor.