Using Natural Language Processing to Describe the Use of an Online Community for Abortion During 2022: Dynamic Topic Modeling Analysis of Reddit Posts.

Journal: JMIR infodemiology
Published Date:

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Abortion access in the United States has been in a state of rapid change and increasing restriction since the Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization decision from the US Supreme Court in June 2022. With further constraints on access to abortion since Dobbs, the internet and online communities are playing an increasingly important role in people's abortion trajectories. There is a need for a broader understanding of how online resources are used for abortion and how they may reflect changes in the sociopolitical and legal context of abortion access. Research using online information and leveraging methods to work efficiently with large textual datasets has the potential to accelerate knowledge generation and provide novel insights into changing abortion-related experiences following Dobbs, helping address these knowledge gaps.

Authors

  • Elizabeth Pleasants
    School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, United States.
  • Ndola Prata
    School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, United States.
  • Ushma D Upadhyay
    Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.
  • Cassondra Marshall
    School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, United States.
  • Coye Cheshire
    School of Information, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States.