People on TikTok are offering somewhere to stay for anyone who wants to travel for an abortion

TikTok users have started using the platform to offer up free accommodation to anyone forced to travel for a legal abortion.

This comes after the recent ruling by the US Supreme Court to overturn Roe vs Wade, the precedent which made legal access to abortion is a constitutional right. We’ve all been following the news, and discussing its implications: this change in US legislation means at least 26 states are “certain or likely” to ban abortion, according to analysis from the Guttmacher Institute. 

The practical consequence of this means that many women experiencing unwanted pregnancies in these states will have to travel to states where abortion remains legal, in order to have the medical procedure in a safe, legal way. 

In a bid to help these women, a slew of TikTok users are sharing videos where they offer up space in their homes, free of charge, for those seeking abortion to stay while they have their procedure. While the users are not specifically naming the reason for the “safe stay” it is implied to be linked to the ruling by a series of telltale hashtags such as #roevwade, #womensupportingwomen and #ifwegodownwegodowntogether and #wegodowntogether.

One example of this show of solidarity is user @toosie71193, who shared the offer of a “safe place to spend time” – in Illinois, where abortions are anticipated to remain legal. In a video with text overlaid over the top, to “Paris” by The Chainsmokers, which features the lyrics “If we go down then we go down together”, she offers to be a “supportive friend” during recovery.

Another user is Katie Watkins, who says she lives in Niagara Falls – in Ontario, Canada, which, she writes, is 90 minutes from the US Border – and would be willing to go “wine tasting” with anyone who need to “spend a few days recovering”. She uses the same The Chainsmokers’ song, as does @spencer.barbosa, also from Ontario, who says she has “It might be far, but I live in Ontario and I have an extra bedroom. No judgement, no explanation, you are my family.”

A third user, @christiiannaa, from North Carolina, offers “camping” for women if their state “doesn’t allow camping” – once again using the telltale The Chainsmokers song – which appears to have become something of an unofficial anthem for the TikTok movement.

Elsewhere on TikTok, users are using the platform to protest against the ruling – everything from meme-style videos – e.g. ‘He’s a 10 but…’ – to opinion pieces-to-camera. 

“People who don’t want children should be able to not have children… why on earth do you want children born to people who don’t want children? We need to stop using traumatic reasons as justification for why abortions are needed. Abortions are healthcare, period. That’s why they’re needed” argues user @shaniyaodulwala.

Other users are posting reactive videos which signpost resources that are available for those who are affected by it, such as in a video from user @ambernotforpresident where she highlights online resources which include grass root organisations like NNAF Abortion Funds – an organisation that offers funding to remove “financial, logistical, cultural and political barriers to abortion”.

She adds “for everyone else we need to find because now our grandparents had more rights than we do” – and urges her followers to follow Planned Parenthood – a pro-choice organisation in the States – to stay aware of upcoming protests.