New York Republicans Undermine Federal Pro-Life Effort
Written by on August 2, 2023
As the U.S. House of Representatives seeks to pass government spending legislation prior to a September 30 deadline, a dispute has broken out about a provision banning abortion pills. Unfortunately, several New York Republicans are on the wrong side of the issue.
According to Axios, a federal bill to fund the Department of Agriculture contains language that would undo a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decision to allow abortion pills to be dispensed at pharmacies and even sent through the mail. (Distributing abortifacients by mail is a blatant violation of federal law.) A group of House Republicans is pressuring Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) to remove that pro-life language. Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-Red Hook) has stated that he will vote against the agriculture funding bill if the abortion pill language is not removed. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-Island Park) also expressed unfavorable sentiments about the abortion pill provision. Rep. Mike Lawler (R-Pearl River) commented, “‘Some states allow [mifepristone] to be mailed, some states don’t, but that should be a decision with the states and the FDA, not Congress.’” Rep. Nick LaLota (R-Amityville) added that he “‘wasn’t looking to disrupt the existing policy’ on abortion.”
New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms is displeased with Reps. D’Esposito, LaLota, Lawler, and Molinaro. NYCF is not certain whether these legislators truly believe in expanding availability for abortion pills or whether they simply believe that supporting abortion pill availability will help them get re-elected. Either way, they are mistaken. While the media may characterize these four lawmakers’ position as a “moderate” one, there is nothing moderate about ignoring federal law, bypassing the appropriate FDA review process, or disregarding the sanctity of human life. Furthermore, it is doubtful that voters will be enamored of the four legislators’ stance. If voters in their respective districts want legislators who will promote abortion pills, they are likely to simply vote Democrat. Pro-life voters should not be taken for granted.
