Planned Parenthood offers free abortions in truck outside DNC
Planned Parenthood offered free vasectomies and medicinal abortions in an oversized van outside the Democratic National Convention on Monday, where women could get a medical abortion – and grab a taco on their way out.
The van, which will also operate on Tuesday, has two separate rooms where patients who filled out a registration form could get the procedure done. The organization had sent out a registration link on Thursday – and all 40 spots for the services were filled by Saturday.
Outside the van was a taco truck, as well as a stand run by the Chicago Abortion Fund, which offered patients goodie bags filled with face masks, candy, painkillers and cards of affirmation.
inside the where patients could get the procedures done, looked like a standard medical office, but tighter due to the limited space.
Planned Parenthood planned on doing “about” ten vasectomies on Monday and a total of 25 medicated abortions throughout Monday and Tuesday, Dr. Colleen McNicholas, the chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood in the region stated.
While organizers claimed the stunt was “not political,” they said the message behind the truck was to promote reproductive healthcare accessibility and garner headlines.
“We knew that there were going to be lots of people coming to Chicago from outside of Illinois, and again we just wanted to highlight that Illinois is a great example of how if you center healthcare policy that is based in science and evidence and puts people before politics then we can really start meeting the needs of the folks in the state,” she added.
Chicago Abortion Fund, which partnered with Planned Parenthood at the location, also aimed to bring attention to abortion access during the DNC.
Chicago Abortion Fund is funded in part by the city of Chicago, as well as through donations.
“We fund abortions, we buy plane tickets and train tickets and send gas money and send childcare stipends and really make sure we’re taking folks through every single step of the way,”
