Doctors Warn Against TikTok Trend for ‘Herbal Abortions’
By Movieguide® Staff
After pro-choice advocates disapproved of the Supreme Court ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade, users on the popular video-sharing platform TikTok suggested taking various herbs to induce menstruation or cause a miscarriage.
Users claim that using herbs like pennyroyal, mugwort, blue cohosh and garnish parsley could act as an “herbal abortion.”
But medical experts are warning people not to follow this TikTok trend.
“My hard-line position, for 35 years, has been that they are not reliably effective,” Dr. Aviva Romm, a women’s health physician, midwife and herbalist wrote. “And the doses of the herbs that one would have to take for it to possibly be effective are so high that they are virtually always toxic to the pregnant person [and the fetus].”
Dr. Aviva also encouraged people not to “listen to what you hear on TikTok.”
Leslie Rae, an herbalist, added in a video on TikTok, “When you get online and you’re telling people, ‘Oh, you can take X, Y and Z to end a pregnancy,’ do you know how to prepare that herb? Do you know how to dose it? Do you know what parts of the plant to use?”
“TikTok witches and fake herbalists: Please stop giving people advice on abortifacient herbs,” she said.
Many TikTok users pointed to the historical roots of “herbal abortions.”
However, Dr. Jen Gunter discouraged people from using ancient abortion methods.
“Using this kind of information from thousands of years ago is no different than taking a map from when people believed the Earth was flat and that we had sea monsters and using it to plot modern shipping routes,” Dr. Gunter said.
“I don’t care if something comes out of the ground or comes out of the lab,” Dr. Gunter said. “Does it work? And is it safe? That’s what I care about.”
Abortion is never safe, and the TikTok trend could cause more distress as people believe the lies the mainstream media promotes about abortion.
Movieguide® previously reported:
Director and producer Tracy Robinson wants to help people see the truth about the pro-choice and pro-life debate with a new movie, THE MATTER OF LIFE.
Robinson, a former “pro-choice Christian,” said that her opinion changed after spending time as a contractor in a pregnancy resource center and hearing apologist Alan Shlemon speak about abortion.
“When it came to the abortion issue — even as an evangelical Christian — I was still very on-the-fence and apathetic at best,” Robinson told The Christian Post. “I felt that I was personally pro-life, but it seemed wrong to try to enforce my preference onto others.
“The truth struck me,” she added. “That evening, I felt the vision to make this message into a feature-length documentary that was downloaded to me. I knew there were so many young adults in my shoes who deserved to be informed but never were — perhaps they attended public school and neither their family nor their church ever broached the topic.”
Robinson said that once her view changed, she learned about how abortion became legalized.
“I didn’t know about Roe v. Wade or the truth behind Planned Parenthood. In reading books and watching Youtube, I discovered a multi-faceted pro-life movement and many powerful and redeeming stories therein,” she said. “And I wanted to tell that story, too.”
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
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Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
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