Planned Parenthood health clinics in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine are reporting an uptick in traffic in recent weeks.
President-elect Donald Trump has sent mixed messaging around the future of abortion access, but has shared clear policy plans for limiting gender-affirming care.
And Planned Parenthood of Northern New England says since Trump's reelection, more patients are reaching out.
In Vermont, appointment bookings for IUDs and birth control implants have more than doubled since the election. That’s according to Jessica Barquist, the vice president of public affairs, Vermont for Planned Parenthood of Northern New England.
“Pre-election, we were at an average of 51 per week, and now we're seeing about 105 calls per week,” she said.
Vasectomy consultations and questions about the future of gender-affirming care have also reportedly increased across the northern New England region.
“We're having patients call asking if they'll still be able to access their hormones, or, you know, just really, really concerned about what that is going to look like,” Barquist said. “And you know when we say ‘care no matter what,’ we mean it, and so we're going to continue to provide care to all of our patients.”
She added that Planned Parenthood of Northern New England has been scenario planning for months, and is planning to work with state leaders to secure funding in the event that the Trump-Vance administration takes away federal dollars.
“Our goal is really working to make sure that we are prepared and kind of one step ahead of anything,” Barquist said. “So that patients don't see any disruption in the services.”
Planned Parenthood of Northern New England noted that in addition to an increase in patient outreach in recent weeks, more people have also stepped forward to volunteer and advocate for the right to abortion, contraception and gender-affirming care.
Organizing and “visibly supporting” marginalized communities is what the Pride Center of Vermont is asking individuals and institutions to do, too. The nonprofit promotes the health and safety of LGBTQ+ Vermonters.
“We know that the news is bleak for many, especially in our 2STLGBQIA+ communities.,” wrote Phoebe Zorn, the Pride Center’s executive director, in a statement responding to election results.
Zorn added: “The work of building community and taking care of each other right here where we live doesn’t change. It will adapt to new and worsening conditions, but it doesn’t change.”
Vermont has “shield” laws that protect Vermont providers and patients from criminal charges filed by out-of-state prosecutors over gender-affirming care and abortion.
And two years ago, the state enshrined the right to "personal reproductive autonomy" in the Vermont Constitution.
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