A person holds a Planned Parenthood sign during a reproductive rights rally in front of the Statehouse in Montpelier on May 14, 2022. File photo by Natalie Williams/VTDiggerSince the election of Donald Trump earlier this month, Planned Parenthood of Northern New England has recorded increased demand for reproductive health services, including at its seven health centers in Vermont.The organization, which also operates clinics in New Hampshire and Maine, said in a press release Monday that in the week following the election, appointments for those seeking long-acting reversible contraceptives doubled in Vermont, from an average of 51 to 105. Throughout the three-state region, the organization said, it has seen a similar increase in demand for other products and services, including intrauterine devices and the birth control implant.Most of the calls to the clinics are from people concerned about their ability to access and pay for their contraception and reproductive health in the next few years, according to Jessica Barquist, a spokesperson for the organization. “People are really scared, and they’re worried that not just the health care that they rely on, but that their health care provider might not be there for them in the future,” she said in an interview.Despite Vermont’s strong legal protections for abortion care, Barquist said federal actions could still pose significant risks. During his first presidency, Trump appointed three members of the U.S. Supreme Court who ultimately support a decision overturning Roe v. Wade, eliminating federal protections for the procedure. During his latest presidential campaign, he sent mixed signals about whether he would support a national abortion ban. “A lot of us think we’re so safe here because we have such great laws on the books with the shield laws and our constitutional amendment that protects abortion care, but the reality is that federal law and even things like executive orders or funding cuts could dramatically change our ability to provide that care in the state,” Barquist said.READ MORE Planned Parenthood has also charted an increase in demand for vasectomy consultations in the three-state region since the election, as well as a rising demand for gender-affirming care appointments.“We expect the coming months will be difficult, but we have weathered these storms before. We are prepared. And we are not going anywhere,” Clegg said in the release. Read the story on VTDigger here: Vermont’s Planned Parenthood clinics see surge in demand following election.