Free Celeste Burgess, the Nebraska teen imprisoned for having an abortion. Abortion care is health care. Nobody should be criminalized or imprisoned for reproductive health decisions.
Why is this important?
In a story seemingly ripped from dystopian horror, Nebraska resident Celeste Burgess, 19, was just sentenced to 90 days in jail for a case involving her termination of a pregnancy when she was 17 years old using abortion medication.
With anti-abortion activists applauding this sentence and Republicans implementing increasingly restrictive anti-abortion laws, cases like this are only going to become more common. Despite what Republicans claim, these bans are designed to criminalize people who seek abortion care, as well as family members and health providers who assist them—and to fundamentally seize control of our health care and autonomy. We must put an end to the criminalization of abortion before it gets any worse.
Nobody should be punished for exercising bodily autonomy and seeking essential health care.
Photo: Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images
