A TikTok clip appearing to show a pregnant woman booking an abortion after learning she was expecting a boy has drawn more than 434,000 likes and 44,000 comments.

@reyz.ily wrote: 'aborting a baby bc of its gender is crazy work.'

The clip has revived debate over sex-selective abortion. A 2019 study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences estimated that sex-ratio imbalances had resulted in 23.1 million missing female births worldwide between 1970 and 2017.

The post, from a user with the handle Kenna daisy, shows a positive pregnancy test, an ultrasound image and a Planned Parenthood appointment page for a 'Procedure'. There is no verifiable evidence that she is pregnant or that the appointment was real.

Viewers Split Over Clip

The clip was the only post on the new account, so little is known about its creator, and it may be an engagement stunt. Its caption reads simply, 'And that's that'.

Its hashtags include #prochoice and #prolife.

@danielchiu21 wrote: 'She could just give the child to somebody who would take better care of it.' Others rushed to defend her, with @0roanisms0 writing: 'If she doesn't wanna give birth, she doesn't have to.'

One commenter objected: 'yall jus set us woman back another 100 years.' The account holder replied: 'Girl stop being a pick me, most men will literally shame you for how you dress.'

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Sex Selection and Global Health

The UNFPA estimates that 142 million girls are missing worldwide because of son preference, daughter aversion and gender-biased sex selection. It explains that prenatal sex selection can involve sex-selective abortion, while discrimination against girls can also continue after birth.

The World Health Organization says people should have access to quality health care, including comprehensive abortion care. The United Nations Population Fund also supports access to post-abortion care, which can be lifesaving where abortions are unsafe.

How Outrage Affects the Body

Mental health experts note that anger activates the body's fight-or-flight system. The brain usually reads anger provoked on purpose as a threat, raising heart rate, making breathing shallow and releasing stress hormones.

Researchers found angry facial expressions made participants angry whether distracted or fully attentive. A Beihang University study of Weibo found anger moves between connected users more strongly than sadness, disgust or joy.

Yale psychologist Molly Crockett explained at Johns Hopkins that supported moral outrage floods the brain's dopamine pathways with positive reinforcement. Likes and supportive replies can create a feedback loop similar to addiction patterns.

Constant exposure is linked to chronic stress, burnout, anxiety and irritability. Disrupted sleep and trouble relaxing offline can follow, and repeated anger can make angry reactions easier to repeat.

Repeated exposure to online provocation can worsen symptoms of depression and difficulty concentrating, especially for teens and young adults still developing coping skills. The nervous system can start scanning even safe situations for threats.

Guidance suggests muting accounts that provoke conflict, pausing before responding and stepping away from the screen. Not every comment warrants a response.

State Laws Vary Widely

In Box v. Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky (2019), the US Supreme Court considered an Indiana law that included restrictions on abortions sought because of a foetus's sex, race or disability. The Court did not rule on the constitutionality of those restrictions.

In a concurring opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas argued that recognising a constitutional right to abortion on those grounds would 'constitutionalize the views of the 20th-century eugenics movement'.

As of 2026, 13 states have bans on abortion throughout pregnancy, while seven states have early gestational limits ranging from six to 12 weeks.

Abortion laws and exceptions vary by state, and some states have enacted specific restrictions on sex-selective abortions. The legality of abortion and the restrictions on the reasons for which it may be sought depend on the applicable state law.

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