SC New York News

As the deadline for a government shutdown looms, several Republican House members, including Rep. Marc Molinaro, are opposing the current form of the FDA and Department of Agriculture appropriations bill. Their opposition is centered around President Biden's executive order that expanded access to chemical abortion pills by mail without a medical consultation. Despite research showing that these pills are more than four times more dangerous than other abortion methods, these Republicans are holding up the spending bills to maintain the eased regulations.

According to a report from the Daily Beast, Rep. Molinaro is among a small group of House Republicans who are against the amendment required to fund the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture. The main point of contention is a provision that aims to nullify a Biden administration rule allowing the sale of mifeprestone, a pill used for chemical abortions, in retail pharmacies.

A study published in the official journal of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists reveals that the complication rate for a chemical abortion is four times higher than that of a surgical abortion. Initially, when mifeprestone was approved by the FDA, it had strict limitations, requiring up to three in-person office visits and a doctor's supervision. However, earlier this year, the FDA quietly updated their website to reflect that the drugs could be dispensed at retail pharmacies, sparking concerns among some Republicans.

In June of this year, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed a law providing legal protections to New York doctors and drug manufacturers that prescribe and ship abortion pills across state lines, particularly to states where they are banned, according to the Associated Press. Under the law, local prosecutors and state agencies would be prohibited from assisting in any abortion-related criminal investigations without a court order. This move further intensifies the debate surrounding the funding of the FDA and Department of Agriculture appropriations bill.

If the longer-term appropriations bills are not passed by September 30th, a government shutdown is set to begin on October 1st, as reported by Newsweek.