Pro-life groups confronted Planned Parenthood’s mobile abortion clinic Tuesday morning with a protest against its services and a display of an alternative van equipped with an ultrasound machine and drugs to reverse the abortion pill.
John Mize, CEO of Americans United for Life, was one of the pro-lifers outside the clinic, just blocks from the Democratic National Convention (DNC), trying to talk to the women boarding the Planned Parenthood van about their options.
“This is a very serious and very complex situation that is being trivialized by Planned Parenthood,” Mize told Fox News Digital. “The fact that these women are making a very complicated, very complex decision is being downplayed and disrespected. And unfortunately, it’s a carnival. There are riots. There are food trucks. Unfortunately, it’s a bit of a show and it trivializes the gravity and importance of vulnerable women.”
CHICAGO GETS ‘WEIRD’ FOR DNC WITH ABORTION TRUCKS, INFLATABLE IUDS AND FREE VASECTOMIS, CONSERVATIVES SAY
Pro-life activists protest near the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Tuesday, August 20, 2024, where Planned Parenthood is providing free vasectomies and medication abortions using a mobile van. (Fox News Digital)
Planned Parenthood Great Rivers of St. Louis announced in an X-post that a bus is traveling to the DNC in Chicago on August 19 and 20 to provide free services. On Tuesday, a Planned Parenthood official told Fox News Digital that the organization only performs medication abortions and is fully booked.
“Here we come, Chicago! Our mobile health clinic will be in the West Loop August 19-20 with @ChiAbortionFund and @TheWienerCircle offering FREE vasectomies and medication abortions,” the post read. “EC will also be available for free and without an appointment.”
Protesters outside the clinic held signs reading “Abortion takes a human life” and “It’s not too late.” Women exiting the Planned Parenthood van declined to speak to the media.
Across the street from Planned Parenthood’s mobile setup, a taco truck blaring music was joined by another pro-life group with its own van equipped with ultrasound machines and abortion reversal drugs.
Bridget Van Means, CEO of Thrive Nation, a national pro-life network, led the van’s operations.
CHICAGO GETS ‘WEIRD’ FOR DNC WITH ABORTION TRUCKS, INFLATABLE IUDS AND FREE VASECTOMIS, CONSERVATIVES SAY
“We support women whether they choose motherhood, which we certainly support. We also stand by them if they choose to have an abortion. We know that there can be a lot of heartache afterward, and that’s why we can support them,” Van Means told Fox News Digital on Tuesday.
“A few people have come by,” Van Means added. “The women are so tense and so upset, and this is a little bit of a circus. They’re going berserk. They’re handing out hot dog coupons for abortion. They’ve got a food truck. We really believe that this doesn’t show the level of respect or dignity that is necessary for women who are very upset.”
Watered-down abortion language in Trump-approved Republican platform angers some social conservatives
The Democrats have made abortion a central issue in election campaigns across the country this election year, warning, among other things, that the Republicans Control of Congress, along with another four years in the White House for former President Trump, would mean a nationwide ban.
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Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the inauguration of Vice President Kamala Harris to succeed President Biden, the Democratic Party has doubled down on its rhetoric around “women’s right to choose.”
The first day of the DNC focused on abortion, with several speakers talking at length about how it is one of the central issues in the Democratic Party’s 2024 platform.
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
