Inside the mobile clinic where DNC attendees can get abortions and vasectomies: Doctor reveals they’re already busy with patients in Chicago
Organizers of a mobile health clinic offering free abortions and vasectomies near where thousands of people are gathering for the Democratic National Convention in Chicago are opposing the action, despite anger from conservatives.
Planned Parenthood Great Rivers has announced that it is bringing its mobile health center to Chicago, offering free services to anyone who registers on August 19 and 20 (the first two days of the convention).
Before the clinic even arrived, they announced that all appointments were filled and that they would contact them with any cancellations. However, the move sparked a flood of criticism online.
“Our goal was to have tens of thousands of people come out around this time, and we wanted to show and highlight what is possible when a state supports reproductive access,” Dr. Colleen Nicholas, chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood Great Rivers, told DailyMail.com.
Planned Parenthood Great Rivers brought its mobile health center to Chicago on August 19 and 20, offering free vasectomies and abortions just minutes from the Democratic National Convention site.
“We are really at a critical point in terms of public health. We really need to think about how we can do things differently. Mobile health is one way to do that,” she said.
On Monday, the mobile clinic had 12 vasectomy patients scheduled. Over the course of two days, they expect to see somewhere between 20 and 30 patients for medical abortions.
DailyMail.com was given access to one of the two rooms that will be used for patient treatments during the two days the organization is in the city.
It included medical equipment and an examination table. There was also a small waiting area between the two examination rooms, and organizers set up a table outside to check people in before they entered the mobile clinic.
A look inside one of the two rooms in Planned Parenthood Great Rivers’ mobile health clinic, where vasectomies and abortions were performed in Chicago this week
Inside one of two rooms being used for patients at Planned Parenthood Great Rivers’ mobile health clinic. According to Dr. Colleen Nicholas, they expect to see between 20 and 30 abortion patients in two days and had 12 vasectomies scheduled for Monday
Dr. Colleen Nicholas was one of two doctors in the mobile health clinic performing abortions and vasectomies in Chicago during the Democratic National Convention. She said the mobile clinic that showed up wasn’t about politics, but about providing access
The clinic was set up a short distance from the Democratic National Convention, but outside the security perimeter. The clinic location is also where several other organizations are holding events outside of the Chicago convention, as Democrats gather nearby.
Nicholas pushed back against the outrage over the mobile clinic arriving in the city while Congress was in session, arguing that they visit areas that are in need and are not tied to any political events taking place.
“We’re just here to provide health care,” she said. “This health care issue is not a Democratic issue. It’s not a Republican issue. It’s really just making sure that people in this country have access to the things that they need.”
“We do things in a way that meets people’s needs and makes healthcare accessible,” Nicholas said.
In the same parking lot where the mobile clinic is located, several other vendors were busy setting up events throughout the four days of the conference.
A few yards away lay a giant inflatable coil known as ‘Freeda Womb.’
An 18-foot tall inflatable IUD was placed just a few feet away from the mobile clinic in Chicago. The giant inflatable is known as ‘Freeda Womb’
The arrival of the mobile clinic led to strong reactions online.
One woman wrote on X: “Giving out free abortions from a bus just a few blocks from the DNC is sinister.”
Another conservative woman called it a “literal bloodbath” and claimed it was “an open display of evil by the DNC.”
The Conservative Group Chairman wrote on X: ‘THIS IS A CULT.’
Outside the gate where the clinic was parked, several anti-abortion protesters held signs. One protester’s sign read “It’s Not Too Late.” Another said abortions kill women.
After about a dozen protesters packed up their things and left, a lone man stood outside the gate, shouting at organizers, including Nicholas, by name.
The establishment of a mobile abortion and vasectomy clinic near the Democratic National Convention sparked outrage among conservatives, including Conservative Caucus Chairman Jim Pfaff
A group of anti-abortion protesters gathered outside the gate where Planned Parenthood Great Rivers was performing free abortions and vasectomies
Inside the actual Democratic National Convention, the separate Planned Parenthood Action Fund, which does advocacy work, had a booth and participated in the convention events. Visitors who stopped by picked up pamphlets and lip balm.
Abortion access has been a key issue for Democrats since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, ending abortion rights nationwide and shifting the issue back to the states.
Abortion access will feature prominently in the convention, having bolstered the Democratic Party’s base in a series of recent elections since the overturning of Roe. It will be directly on the ballot in several states, including the battleground of Arizona in November.
Several women will speak during the primetime broadcast of Congress Monday night about their own experiences being unable to get an abortion in states where the procedure is banned.
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at an abortion clinic in Minneapolis in March. She was the first sitting vice president to visit an abortion clinic. She was accompanied on her visit by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who is now her running mate
Vice President Kamala Harris has been a leading figure in the Biden administration on reproductive rights. She became the first sitting vice president to visit an abortion clinic while in office, when she spoke at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Minneapolis in March.
During her campaign, Harris promised to restore abortion rights if Roe is elected president, and she has called on lawmakers to send her a bill.