July 2025

Time to Grin and Bear it—Babies, I mean.

America’s dismal birth rates are often blamed on economics.  But the cost of bearing and raising children is only part of the reason the American total fertility rate, at 1.6 children per woman, is at historic lows. Equally important in discouraging young people from marrying and

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PRI Insider (Volume 5, Issue 27) July 25

In This Issue: Global fertility continues to slide, with Latin America and the Caribbean—once known for large families—now seeing steep, unexpected drops. Births in the past decade have fallen sharply across the region: Uruguay down 34%, Argentina 32%, Costa Rica 27%, Mexico 24%, Chile and Cuba 21%, Colombia 13%, and Brazil 10%.

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Pope Paul VI signed Humanae vitae on July 25, 1968.

Happy Birthday, Humanae Vitae

Fifty-six years ago this week, Pope Paul VI released an encyclical that shocked the world. Not because it said something new, but because it not only refused to conform, but openly rejected the spirit of the age. Change was sweeping across the world in the

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PRI Insider (Volume 5, Issue 26) July 18

In This Issue: In 2022, nearly one in every three pregnancies (29.7%) in England and Wales ended in abortion—a record high and a sharp increase from 26.5% the year before. This surge follows the 2020 introduction of at-home abortion pills. The total number of abortions reached 247,703, marking a 13% rise from 2021 and a 34% jump since 2012.

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PRI Insider (Volume 5, Issue 25) July 11

In This Issue: Most of the world already has below-replacement birthrates. By the 2080s, the global population is projected to decline, and if each generation averages just 1.5 children per two adults, the population could shrink by 66% every century. Overpopulation fears were once focused on famine and scarcity and echoed by thinkers like Malthus and Ehrlich.

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Birth Control Pill

Poison Pill

The invention of the hormonal birth control pill in the 1960s was billed as a scientific triumph.  In one fell swoop, this pharmaceutical innovation would free women to choose their own destinies.  They could pursue careers without the “burden” of an unplanned pregnancy, while delaying marriage or

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PRI Insider (Volume 5, Issue 24) July 4

A significant demographic shift is taking place in the U.S. over the past 20 years, with 21 states recording more deaths than births in 2022, and all 50 states experiencing a decline in fertility rates between 2005 and 2023. During that period, the national fertility rate fell 18.4%, dropping from 66.7 to 54.4 births per 1,000 women aged 15–44, according to LendingTree.

Read More »

PRI Insider (Volume 5, Issue 27) July 25

In This Issue: Global fertility continues to slide, with Latin America and the Caribbean—once known for large families—now seeing steep, unexpected drops. Births in the past decade have fallen sharply across the region: Uruguay down 34%, Argentina 32%, Costa Rica 27%, Mexico 24%, Chile and Cuba 21%, Colombia 13%, and Brazil 10%.

Read More »

PRI Insider (Volume 5, Issue 26) July 18

In This Issue: In 2022, nearly one in every three pregnancies (29.7%) in England and Wales ended in abortion—a record high and a sharp increase from 26.5% the year before. This surge follows the 2020 introduction of at-home abortion pills. The total number of abortions reached 247,703, marking a 13% rise from 2021 and a 34% jump since 2012.

Read More »

PRI Insider (Volume 5, Issue 25) July 11

In This Issue: Most of the world already has below-replacement birthrates. By the 2080s, the global population is projected to decline, and if each generation averages just 1.5 children per two adults, the population could shrink by 66% every century. Overpopulation fears were once focused on famine and scarcity and echoed by thinkers like Malthus and Ehrlich.

Read More »
Birth Control Pill

Poison Pill

The invention of the hormonal birth control pill in the 1960s was billed as a scientific triumph.  In one fell swoop, this pharmaceutical innovation would free

Read More »

PRI Insider (Volume 5, Issue 24) July 4

A significant demographic shift is taking place in the U.S. over the past 20 years, with 21 states recording more deaths than births in 2022, and all 50 states experiencing a decline in fertility rates between 2005 and 2023. During that period, the national fertility rate fell 18.4%, dropping from 66.7 to 54.4 births per 1,000 women aged 15–44, according to LendingTree.

Read More »