Attendees at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago will have the opportunity to get a free abortion or vasectomy just blocks from the convention venue, but vasectomy appointments are filling up fast.
Planned Parenthood Great Rivers, which serves most of Missouri and parts of southern Illinois, Dispatch of mobile medical center They’ll be in the Windy City’s West Loop to provide reproductive health services on Monday and Tuesday.
Medication abortions are reportedly available on both days, while vasectomies are only offered on Mondays. According to the New York Times:.
Demand for vasectomy procedures is high, with a waiting list already in place.
“People are going to be coming to Chicago from all over the country,” Dr. Colleen McNicholas, chief medical officer for Planned Parenthood Federation of Great Rivers, told the paper, “and I think as health care providers, we should do all we can to show what the impacts of good policy and bad policy look like.”
Services are provided on a “sliding fee scale. You pay what you can afford and get the care you need.” According to the reservation formAll we need is your name, date of birth, and basic contact information.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who will be the Democratic presidential nominee at the convention, has been an open supporter of abortion rights since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which had protected the right to abortion federally for half a century.
Abortion has become an integral part of Harris’ campaign, with several states passing their own strict anti-abortion laws since the 2022 Supreme Court ruling.
According to the White House, Harris has called abortion one of America’s “fundamental freedoms.” release In December, he released “Fight for Reproductive Freedom.”
According to the Times, unlike previous years, abortion is expected to be a top issue for Democrats at the convention.
“There’s a direct connection between Donald Trump’s actions and the loss of access to abortion care,” said Minnesota Democratic Sen. Tina Smith, who previously worked for Planned Parenthood, “and that’s one of the reasons people are looking at this issue in a much different light than they were just four years ago.”
In addition to the mobile clinics, another group, the American Birth Control Association, plans to set up an 18-foot-tall inflatable intrauterine device (IUD) called “Frida Oom,” according to the Times. Other activists are planning a “Hot Women for Harris” party, among several other events.
Meanwhile, downtown Chicago businesses have begun boarding up their doors and windows in preparation for thousands of anti-Israel protesters who plan to occupy downtown during the convention.
