When you think of Gen Z, social media probably comes to mind. The endless scrolling, the constant selfies, and the uncontrollable urge to document everything - with over one billion monthly active users, its addictiveness is no surprise.
To reach this generation, you must go where people are, so groups like Students for Life of America (SFLA) use this app to spread the pro-life message. Our work includes responding to what passes for “news” on the platform and where pro-abortion TikTok users make things up about life in the womb.
See for yourself.
Presenting blatantly false information as facts to an ignorant generation.
If someone said that the sky was lime green, you'd laugh. But what if you'd never seen the sky before?
Abortion extremists count on ignorance. In a TikTok video by “Dr.” Jennifer Lincoln, she touts her expertise as a doctor to dismiss a preborn heartbeat as “electrical activity” and frames pro-lifers and white men as the villains. Did she skip that day in medical school?
That statement wouldn’t get her past a biology test. Real science based on facts, not opinion, tells us this, as Monica Sunder of Secular Pro Life accurately states, “By 6 weeks the heart is chambered and moving blood unidirectionally through coordinated contractions–that is, the heart is rhythmically pumping blood.”
Some TikTok users won’t see through the woke buzzwords and pro-abortion bias. They’ll take her word at face value. Abortion champions depend on people taking TikTok rants and other uneducated talking heads as the gospel.
Who needs facts when emotions will suffice? Say something with enough conviction and viewers will accept and even praise illogical rhetoric
Take this woman who states 85% of Americans think abortion should be legal. Again, zero resources. More shocking is her claim that abortion is not a divisive issue. That’s one thing pro-abortion and pro-life activists can disagree on.
Although this method is used frequently, the pro-life movement has facts on our side to clap back fast.
Making abortion as routine as brushing your teeth: Evil wrapped in normalcy.
In this TikTok posted by none other than Planned Parenthood, a woman films “have an abortion with me” vlog. In a typical get-ready-with-me style video, she portrays abortion as an aesthetic, routine part of life that's as easy and beneficial as a healthy breakfast.
Already a mother to one child, she evoked pity from viewers, seeing abortion as a compassionate, caring decision. “Helpful” recommendations for women having abortions are given throughout the video, creating the narrative that women aren’t truly alone during or after abortion.
An average TikTok viewer may wonder if this is what abortion really is, and if so, question why some people think it’s so terrible.
Distracting factors like this mask the reality and detrimental effects of abortion. No matter the situation, abortion intentionally kills an innocent human being in the womb, something much more than merely swallowing some pills and videoing it. There is deep emotional trauma, physical complications, and possible fertility issues. Just as a “day-in-the-life" video doesn't show an actual day, neither does an “abortion-in-the-life" video. It’s a sham.
The real message is hidden in plain sight.
Searching the word “abortion” on TikTok pulls up videos of women posting their reactions.
This video is a perfect example of a traumatized woman rationalizing her abortion.
From the start, grief is apparent, especially when she talks about how hard it is to think about all the “what if’s.” Videos like this potentially benefit either the pro-life or pro-abortion movement. The question is which side will wield the weapon.
And that is the point. If there are no pro-life activists responding and countering these videos, the pro-abortion movement can hijack it without opposition, like taking candy from a baby. The woman discusses how her doctor is so kind, how she’s faced backlash because of her decision, and how she still knows abortion was the right call. Yet, her trauma, crying, and distress say otherwise. While pro-abortion activists encourage women to continue to share posts such as this in the name of “awareness,” it’s the pro-life movement’s chance to respond and speak the truth. Support can be found in Pregnancy Resource Centers around the country. Killing a preborn child doesn’t and shouldn’t be the answer to a difficult situation.
These methods are frustrating for pro-lifers, but it’s time to fight on the ground pro-abortion activists occupy. The future is bright. We will support mothers via Standing With You, urging leaders to implement policy change, and educating our campuses. We are the Pro-Life Generation, and we will continue to stand up for life until the dignity of every human person is protected.
And yes, the Pro-Life Generation’s coming for TikTok, too.
Madeline Abbott is a Thaddeus Stevens Fellow with SFLA and currently attends Shanley High School. She will be attending the University of Mary in the fall to major in Political Science and Catholic Studies with the hopes of running a pro-life non-profit in the future.