Pro-life groups answer Planned Parenthood abortion van with outreach near DNC
'It's a carnival,' pro-life group says of Planned Parenthood's abortion van
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Pro-life groups countered Planned Parenthood's mobile abortion clinic Tuesday morning by staging a protest against its services and presenting an alternative van equipped with an ultrasound machine and abortion pill reversal medication.
John Mize, CEO of Americans United for Life, was one of the pro-life individuals outside the clinic just a few blocks away from the Democratic National Convention (DNC), attempting to talk to women going into the Planned Parenthood van about their options.
"This is a very serious and a very complex situation that's being trivialized by Planned Parenthood," Mize told Fox News Digital. "It's being diminished, and it's being disrespected, the fact that this is a very complicated, very complex decision that these women are making, and, unfortunately, it's a carnival. They have blow-ups. They have food trucks. It's a bit of a show, unfortunately, and it diminishes the severity and significance of vulnerable women."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Pro-life activists protest where Planned Parenthood has a mobile van offering free vasectomies and medicinal abortions near the Democratic National Convention in Chicago Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024. (Fox News Digital)
Planned Parenthood Great Rivers of St. Louis announced in an X post that a bus is headed to the DNC in Chicago on Aug. 19-20 to offer free services. As of Tuesday, a Planned Parenthood worker told Fox News Digital it was only performing medicinal abortions and was fully booked.
"Here we come, Chicago! Our mobile health clinic will be in the West Loop with @ChiAbortionFund & @TheWienerCircle Aug 19-20, providing FREE vasectomies & medication abortion," the post said. "EC will also be available for free without an appointment."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Protesters outside the clinic held signs that said "Abortion takes a human life" and "It's Not Too Late." Women who left the Planned Parenthood van declined to talk to the media.
Across the street from where Planned Parenthood had its mobile setup alongside a vibrant taco truck blasting music, another pro-life group set up shop with its own van decked out with ultrasound equipment and abortion-reversing drugs.
Bridget Van Means, CEO of Thrive Nation, a national network of pro-life health care, headed the van's operations.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We support women whether they choose motherhood, which, of course, we champion. We're also with them if they choose abortion. We know there can be a lot of heartbreak after that, and so we're able to support them," Van Means told Fox News Digital Tuesday.
"We have had a few people come by," Van Means added. "The women are so tense, and they're so upset, and this is a little bit of a circus over here. They have blow-ups. They're giving away hot dog coupons with the abortion. They have a food truck. We really think it does not provide the appropriate level of respect or dignity to women who are very upset."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}SOFTENED ABORTION LANGUAGE IN TRUMP-APPROVED GOP PLATFORM IRKS SOME SOCIAL CONSERVATIVES
Democrats have made the issue of abortion a central theme in campaigns across the country this election year, including warning that Republican control of Congress, in tandem with another four years in the White House for former President Trump, would mean a nationwide ban.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Since the reversal of Roe v. Wade and Vice President Kamala Harris stepping in to replace President Biden, the Democratic Party has doubled down on rhetoric surrounding a "woman's right to choose."
On day one of the DNC, abortion took center stage. Several speakers spoke at length about it being one of the central issues of the Democratic Party's 2024 platform.
Fox News Digital's Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.