Here’s Why Planned Parenthood Offered Free Abortion Pills and Vasectomies Outside the DNC

This article was first published in The 19th.

Alicia Hurtado of Chicago got the alert Tuesday morning: Someone in the area needed an abortion. Could they help?

As a staff member at the Chicago Abortion Fund, an organization that provides resources to people facing barriers to abortion, Hurtado got to work. Within hours, with the help of a case manager, they had plans in place for the person to receive a same-day medication abortion.

The location of the patient, who Hurtado said was traveling by bus from a state where abortion is illegal, was a mobile health clinic set up in downtown Chicago. She was also outside the United Center, the site of the Democratic National Convention.

Organizers of the two-day clinic, which ended Tuesday, offered not only medical abortions but also vasectomies. Both services were free to patients who registered in advance for an appointment. The clinic was sold out both days.

“I’m glad this option was made available at the right place and time for our caller and for everyone who was able to access services over the course of those two days,” said Hurtado, who helped distribute emergency contraceptives at the pop-up clinic alongside staff from Planned Parenthood Great Rivers, the St. Louis-area affiliate of the national group that hosted the clinic. The affiliate was the first in the country to have a mobile unit like this, and it traveled around the region providing services.

The DNC was not associated with the clinic. Anti-abortion protesters occasionally appeared outside the mobile unit, including at least one person with a van offering services that she said would help people seeking abortions. At least one business that does not publicly support abortion provided diapers.

Dr. Colleen McNicholas, chief medical officer for Planned Parenthood Great Rivers, was at the clinic both days. She said organizers knew tens of thousands of people would come from across the country to the DNC, including policymakers and influencers. It offered an opportunity to showcase how Illinois has stepped in to fill abortion care gaps left by other states.

“When we have policies that support evidence-based health policy, we as health care providers can be innovative and creative, and we can do more to meet the needs of patients where they are,” she said. “So Illinois can serve as a model in many ways for other states.”

US Supreme Court Overturn in 2022 Roe v. Wadethat once guaranteed federal protection for abortion, has created a political landscape in which Republicans have severely restricted the procedure or nearly banned it. Patients have had to turn to out-of-state travel or the Internet to obtain abortion pills. In the Midwest, states like Illinois and Minnesota, both led by Democrats, have become havens for abortion access.

In total, eight medication abortions and nine vasectomies were performed over the two days, according to Planned Parenthood Great Rivers.

McNicholas said that over the course of two days, she treated patients for both types of care. Some traveled long distances to be there.