By Molly Anson
A recent viral TikTok exchange involving singer Zara Larsson sparked debate online.
A fan posted that she had not realised she was pregnant while attending one of Larsson’s concerts, but at least the baby had heard the artist’s song Midnight Sun before she aborted it. Larsson replied: “I killed the performance and then you killed it after the performance purrrrrr.” The video gained more than 1.6 million likes, with Larsson’s comment alone receiving over 250,000 likes within days.
In the exchange, a decision involving pregnancy and developing human life had been turned into a public punchline.
The fallout from the incident also revealed a more complicated public response. According to reports, Larsson has since lost a brand deal worth approximately $3 million after the exchange drew backlash.
Moments like this raise a broader question: when did abortion become something our culture speaks about so casually?
In recent years abortion has increasingly been framed in clinical terms. It is often described primarily as a medical procedure and part of routine healthcare for women. However, framing it primarily in clinical terms may also have reshaped the cultural conversation in ways that flatten the emotional and moral complexity of the issue. Pregnancy and its ending are rarely just clinical experiences. Yet the language used in modern debates often attempts to simplify the issue.
One phrase that appears frequently in abortion discussions describes early pregnancy as “just a clump of cells.” This often functions as emotional distancing. By reducing pregnancy to a “clump of cells”, the language removes the human dimension from the conversation and makes the decision appear morally uncomplicated.
Yet this language reveals an interesting contradiction.
If a woman loses a pregnancy through miscarriage at the same stage, no one would dismiss her grief by telling her she has lost “a clump of cells.” We recognise that she has lost a baby.
The language shifts depends on whether the pregnancy is wanted. When it is wanted, society acknowledges the developing life and mourns its loss. When it is unwanted, that same developing life is often described as biologically insignificant.
Another aspect rarely discussed in public conversations is the emotional complexity surrounding abortion.
Some studies report that women often feel relief immediately after an abortion, particularly when the pregnancy was unintended or would have significantly disrupted their lives. This response is frequently emphasised in public discussions about abortion.
But human emotions rarely remain fixed. Some women who initially feel relief later describe feelings of sadness, regret, or guilt that emerge months or even years afterwards. For some, these emotions arise after life circumstances change – such as having children later in life or reflecting on the decision from a different stage of life.
Others report experiencing significant emotional distress more immediately, including feelings of deep shame, grief, or suicidal thoughts.
Experiences vary widely, but these accounts highlight that for many, abortion is not psychologically simple. For that reason, women should be informed not only about the medical aspects of abortion, but also about the range of emotional and psychological responses that can follow.
The scale at which abortion occurs also raises broader questions about how society approaches unintended pregnancy.
Each year an estimated 90,000 abortions occur in Australia, around one million in the US, and approximately 300,000 in the UK.
Whatever one’s position on the issue of abortion, these numbers are significant. Even a small percentage of women experiencing lasting emotional distress would represent a substantial number of people, not to mention the immense loss of human life.
Yet public debate often focuses primarily on defending access to abortion rather than preventing unintended pregnancies in the first place. Conversations about responsibility and the social conditions that contribute to unintended pregnancy receive far less attention.
Perhaps the clearest example of this cultural shift is the growing presence of humour surrounding abortion.
Comedy has long been used as a way of coping with trauma. Dark humour often emerges when people are trying to process painful experiences. But many of the jokes circulating online about abortion feel different. Rather than reflecting personal coping, they are often framed as celebratory or empowering – jokes about the act of abortion itself rather than the emotions that may accompany it.
If abortion is often described as a serious and complex decision, why is it increasingly spoken about so casually?
Social media amplifies this dynamic. Viral posts, memes and jokes can accumulate millions of views and likes within hours. What was once considered a deeply private and serious decision is increasingly discussed through the language of internet humour.
This shift may be particularly influential for younger generations who have grown up in a culture where abortion is often discussed primarily as a necessity, a right, or even a joke. Repeated exposure to this kind of language can subtly shape how the issue is understood.
A decision that many women experience as difficult and deeply personal can begin to appear straightforward. A quick solution to an unexpected problem, rather than something that may involve emotional complexity or reflection.
None of this is to deny that women can face profoundly difficult circumstances when confronted with an unplanned pregnancy. But compassion should not require pretending that abortion is trivial. It remains a decision with emotional, ethical and human dimensions that deserve more serious reflection than our current cultural conversation often allows.
Perhaps the question is not simply whether abortion should exist, but whether in our effort to normalise it, we have forgotten how to speak about it with the seriousness it deserves.
Molly has a background in law and clinical negligence. She now works as a caseworker supporting individuals affected by occupational diseases and has a strong interest in medico-legal issues and women’s rights.
Women’s Forum Australia is an independent think tank that undertakes research, education and public policy advocacy on issues affecting women and girls, with a particular focus on addressing behaviours and practices that are harmful and abusive to them. We are a non-partisan, non-religious, tax-deductible charity. We do not receive any government funding and rely solely on donations to make an impact. Support our work today.
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