Planned Parenthood announced that the organization will offer free medication abortions and vasectomies during the week of the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Planned Parenthood announced that it would send two mobile health clinics to Chicago during the convention to perform vasectomies and medication abortions. However…
… These activities would not take place at the convention site itself, but at two locations relatively close to the site. In addition, Planned Parenthood is not affiliated with the Democratic Party or its 2024 convention.
According to rumors that spread online in the days leading up to the Democratic National Convention in August 2024, free abortions and vasectomies were to be offered in Chicago during the week of the 2024 Democratic National Convention (DNC):
(Todd Starnes/Facebook)
The claim also appeared on X in posts by conservative media outlets Fox News and NewsNation. Online reaction was mixed, with some commenters expressing amusement (“Wow, the Democrats know how to rig a convention,” one commented on Reddit. “Good to know.”) and others expressing outrage (archived):
Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene criticized the initiative and urged people to “choose life.”
The claim was true. Planned Parenthood Great Rivers’ mobile clinic actually announced on X on August 14 and later on Facebook that it would be offering free abortions and vasectomies in Chicago the week the convention was taking place, and even provided a link to sign up (archived):
“EC” stands for “emergency contraception,” which the team says will be available free of charge and without an appointment. (Great Rivers is located in Missouri, a state that made abortion illegal in 2022.)
However, it was not true, as some social media posts claimed, that these medical services were provided on site of Congress. “Yes, we provide these services for free,” Nick Dunne, communications director for Planned Parenthood Great Rivers, told Snopes via email. “However, we are not a member of or affiliated with the DNC.”
The organization continued to promote its initiative until August 18, 2024, the day before the DNC was scheduled to begin. By clicking on the link to the form, Snopes was able to confirm that no appointments were available at that time, an indication that the initiative was successful:
Concerns about the lack of appointments were addressed on the website, which added that Planned Parenthood in Illinois was able to mail medication abortion pills (a combination of mifepristone and misoprostol) through the Planned Parenthood Direct application (archived):
In Illinois, medical abortions are permitted up to 12 weeks of pregnancy and can be performed in a medical facility or at home. They involve taking mifepristone first to stop the production of progesterone and then misoprostol, which causes the body to terminate the pregnancy. According to the Mayo Clinic, most vasectomies are reversible.
Sources
Patel, AbhishekP and RyanP Smith. “Vasectomy reversal: A clinical update.” Asian Journal of Andrology, Vol. 18, No. 3, 2016, p. 365. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.4103/1008-682X.175091.
Planned Parenthood expands availability of medication abortion to 12 weeks of pregnancy for patients in Illinois. https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-great-rivers/newsroom/press-releases/planned-parenthood-expands-availability-of-medication-abortion-to-12-weeks-of-pregnancy-for-patients-in-illinois. Accessed August 19, 2024.
Planned Parenthood Great Rivers. https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-great-rivers. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
Reporter, Giulia Carbonaro US News. “Marjorie Taylor Greene attacks ‘free vasectomies and abortions’ near DNC.” Newsweek, August 18, 2024, https://www.newsweek.com/marjorie-taylor-greene-attacks-free-vasectomies-abortions-dnc-1940781.
Where can I get an abortion? | US Abortion Clinic Locator. https://www.abortionfinder.org/abortion-guides-by-state/abortion-in-missouri. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
