Free abortions and vasectomies are available to DNC attendees

Free abortions and vasectomies are available to DNC attendees

Attendees of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago have the opportunity to undergo a free abortion or vasectomy just blocks from the venue — and vasectomy appointments fill up quickly.

Planned Parenthood Great Rivers, which serves most of Missouri and part of southern Illinois, is sending a mobile health center to the Windy City’s West Loop to offer reproductive services Monday and Tuesday.

According to the New York Times, medical abortions are available on both days, while vasectomies are only offered on Mondays.

Free abortions and vasectomies will be offered on Monday and Tuesday a few blocks from the DNC. Getty Images

There is reportedly a high demand for vasectomies and there are already waiting lists.

“There will be people from all over the country traveling to Chicago,” Dr. Colleen McNicholas, chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood Great Rivers, told the newspaper. “And I think we should do everything we can as health care providers to show the impact of good and bad policies.”

Services are provided “on a sliding fee scale – pay what you can and get the medical care you need,” says the appointment reservation form, which requires only name, date of birth and basic contact information.

Vice President Kamala Harris, who will be the Democratic presidential nominee at the convention, has spoken out openly in support of abortion rights after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision that had protected access to abortion at the federal level for half a century.

The Vice President is an outspoken supporter of abortion. AP

The issue of abortion has become an integral part of Harris’ campaign after several states passed their own strict abortion bans since the Supreme Court’s decision in 2022.

Harris called abortion one of America’s “fundamental freedoms,” according to a White House press release announcing her “fight for reproductive freedoms” in December.

Unlike in previous years, abortion is likely to be a central issue for Democrats at the convention, The Times reported.

Access to reproductive care was an important issue for Democrats in this presidential election. AP

“There’s a direct connection between what Donald Trump did and the loss of access to abortion care,” said Senator Tina Smith, Democrat of Minnesota, who formerly worked for Planned Parenthood. “That’s one of the reasons why people are looking at this in a completely different context than they were four years ago.”

In addition to the mobile clinic, another group, Americans for Contraception, plans to build a 18-foot-tall inflatable coil called the “Freeda Womb,” the Times reported.

Other activists are planning a “Hotties for Harris” party, among a number of other events.

Meanwhile, businesses in downtown Chicago have begun boarding up their doors and windows in anticipation of thousands of anti-Israel protesters planning to occupy the city’s streets during the convention.

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