The central theses

  • The Texas abortion ban prohibits people from having an abortion as soon as a fetal heartbeat is detected, which can be as early as six weeks after pregnancy.
  • A gynecologist uses TikTok to educate people about abortion resources.
  • TikTok is one of the best platforms to reach out to Gen Z audiences who may be looking for reproductive health information for themselves or others.

Since the abortion ban in Texas last week, some commentators have encouraged people to seek abortions outside of the state.

However, access to extra-state health care is not an easy task, especially when barriers such as transportation costs, distance, work, and family responsibilities play a role.

“Put yourself in the middle of Texas and then tell me how long it will take to leave the state.” Jennifer Lincoln, MD, a gynecologist based in Portland, Oregon and author of an upcoming Book on reproductive healthsays Verywell.

“It’s not that simple,” she says. “But there are resources.”

Lincoln has used social media – TikTok in particular – to educate people about ways to provide abortion assistance to Texans who need them. With 2.3 million followers, she uses her platform to disseminate information about reproductive health care and provide guidance on how to join protests or donate to interest groups.

“When that abortion ban came out, I thought I need to break this down and do it quickly because people are going to go straight to TikTok,” says Lincoln.

Texas law, known as SB8, prohibits abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected. This can be as early as six weeks after becoming pregnant and before some people find out they are pregnant. People can face civil lawsuits when performing or assisting with abortion on a patient after a fetal heartbeat is detected. The law makes no exceptions for rape or incest.

US Attorney General Merrick Garland announced on Thursday that the Justice Department would sue Texas over the law, calling it “clearly unconstitutional under long-standing Supreme Court precedent.”

On the same day the law went into effect, Lincoln posted a TikTok containing five things people need to know about the Texas ban on abortion, which received 3.3 million views. “These bans will do nothing to lower abortion rates,” she said in the video. “It will only decrease access to safe abortion.”

In the days that followed, she published explainer TikToks on birth control, morning-after pills, and other reproductive health issues. She says it’s important to let people know about resources they can access, such as Abortion pills, despite the ban.

In another Videoshe said that people who have the financial means can afford an abortion outside of the state, but not for the poorer.

Lincoln adds that factors like immigration status, especially undocumented immigrants, will also make it difficult for them to leave the state.

Promoting public health through TikTok

Social media advocacy isn’t taught in medical school or residency, but it’s a perfect example of a basic public health tenet that is to meet patients where they are, explains Lincoln.

“I can sit one to one in front of my patients until I’m blue in the face, but there is no way I can reach as many people as I can on a social media platform,” she says.

In particular, she sees TikTok as a gateway to Generation Z. People of this generation may be looking for answers to reproductive health issues themselves, or they may be committed to helping others who search.

“They won’t be rushed and they won’t let people take their rights away,” Lincoln says of Gen Z. “I have a lot of hope in this generation because they are the most open-minded generation.” We have ever had. So I think the tide is turning. ”

Her audience seems, for the most part, interested and enthusiastic about her contributions to abortion care, although she does acknowledge that she may have one of the following biases.

Still, it always stings when some TikTok users are critical or judgmental of a person’s decision to have an abortion. She chooses to delete comments she deems inappropriate or address them in a separate video to combat misinformation.

“I said on my platform, and I’ll tell everyone, it’s fine if you don’t believe in or support abortion, or you’ve never made up your mind on one, I’m not here to change your mind,” says Lincoln . “But you need to understand that these are your beliefs and not everyone shares them. You have to stay out of other people’s businesses and their wombs. ”

What that means for you

Some doctors use social media platforms like TikTok to provide information about abortion and health care, and to connect people to resources. However, not all TikTokers are reliable sources, so it is always a good idea to ask your provider specific questions about your personal health.