Social Network Analysis and Semantic Analysis of #TexasAbortionBan on Twitter

IntroductionStarting on September 1, 2021, the state of Texas implemented a new abortion restriction referred to as Texas Senate Bill 8 (SB 8), which prohibits abortion after approximately 6 weeks of pregnancy. Despite legal challenges, the Supreme Court declined to intervene, leaving open the possibility for future public hearings or challenges.MethodsWe collected tweets containing the hashtag #TexasAbortionBan from public Twitter accounts over a 30-day period (September 1 to September 30, 2021). A total of 104,097 tweets were analyzed during this time frame. The current project employed social network analysis to study the discourse among Twitter users in relation to the #TexasAbortionBan.ResultsThe current project examined the top ten dominant users within the #TexasAbortionBan network. These users were classified into four groups: journalists/news organizations, activist (political/human rights activist), Internet personality/influencer, and nonprofit and non-governmental organization. The primary topics of discussion revolved around women's access to abortion care and their rights to make decisions regarding their bodies.ConclusionsThe findings suggest that the Texas Abortion Ban is the harshest "heartbeat" law among all the states that implemented similar legislation in 2021, and it triggered an uproar in the political discussion.Policy ImplicationsThe social network analysis, a computer-mediated research method, can provide valuable insights for researchers and policymakers seeking to understand a political and controversial topic, such as abortion. The Texas Abortion Ban is seen as a pavement for eventually overturning of Roe v. Wade. Understanding the discourse surrounding abortion-related topics on Twitter holds significance for women, healthcare providers, and policymakers interested in engaging in public advocacy to maintain legal abortion rights.