There were more than impassioned speeches by the Obamas and *checks notes* Lil Jon appearances for Georgia’s roll call at the 2024 Democratic National Convention this week. And with the influx of people in the city for all things DNC, Planned Parenthood set up a mobile clinic in Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood to step in and give people free vasectomies, medication abortion, and emergency contraception to provide “care, no matter where.” (Notably, the mobile clinic was formally unaffiliated with the DNC and resided about a mile away from the United Center where speeches took place.)
According to a press release from Planned Parenthood, “The mobile clinic is a demonstration of the possibilities when states like Illinois work to support, rather than restrict, access to affordable health care. Meeting patients where they are by offering the mobile clinic’s services in busy areas is yet another continuation of Planned Parenthood’s unending efforts to improve accessibility and expand services for Illinois residents. It is also another way to address the influx of patients coming to Illinois for care as surrounding states continue to enact severe restrictions on reproductive care, including extreme abortion bans.”
“Accessibility is a core value at Planned Parenthood Great Rivers, and our mobile health clinic helps us bring care to more people who need it....As people from across the country travel to Illinois this week, we are proud to demonstrate what is possible when policies truly support accessible reproductive health care,” mused Colleen McNicholas, DO, chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood Great Rivers.
The move is a consequential one, especially on the heels of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022.
According to Megan Jeyifo, executive director of the Chicago Abortion Fund, “Since the Dobbs decision, the Chicago Abortion Fund has fielded over 25,000 support requests from people based in 44 states, and distributed over $7.5 million in direct support for appointment costs and travel support”—astounding figures that underscore the demand for these clinical services to those who are in need.
“All people deserve to have access to abortion care free of financial hurdles and without interference and that is what we are doing here with our partners today.”
Honestly, truer words!
Gretty Garcia is the associate news editor at Cosmopolitan, where she covers all things news, entertainment, and pop culture. Before joining Cosmo, Gretty was a social strategist for Mrs. Dow Jones and a features and special projects editor at Editorialist. She holds an MS from the Columbia Journalism School and studied art history at Harvard College.
