In This Issue:
- Deepening Depopulation
- Safety of Surrogates
- Communist China
- Standing for Freedom
- War Censorship
- Intel Leaks
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- Not a Heartbeat?
- CRISPR Debate Continued
- Pro-Life Around the World
- French Abortion Extension
- Colombian Crimes
- Pregnancy in Poland
- A Welcome End
- Pro-Life on the Home Front
- The Abortion Pill Era
- Abortion Bill Fails
- Overruling Roe
- Good News
- Best Shock of a Lifetime
Deepening Depopulation
Safety of Surrogates: Ukraine, a well-known surrogacy hub that produces around 2,500 babies through surrogacy per year, is one of the only countries that allows their citizens to enter into legal surrogacy agreements. The war between Russia and Ukraine has opened the question of whether surrogates should place the safety of the contracted babies within their body over their own family and country. In Alison Motluk’s words, “The reality is that the interests of the surrogate and the interests of the parents don’t always align. War just makes it that much more stark.”
Communist China
Standing for Freedom: Professional athlete Enes Kanter Freedom lost his career with the NBA due to his continued activism against the CCP’s human rights abuses. For months he has raised awareness over the Uyghur genocide. Despite being unemployed as a result, Kanter Freedom was also welcomed at an award ceremony sponsored by US senators for this activism.
War Censorship: Historians and scholars in China are being silenced on topics relating to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Posts detailing the CCP’s protection promises to Ukraine in the past decade were deleted, and the accounts responsible completely erased.
“Putin set about expanding his empire knowing that the Chinese Communist Party had his back and would help to ease the pain of the economic sanctions that were sure to follow the invasion,” says PRI President Steven Mosher. “The Beijing regime’s true sentiments come through loud and clear on social media, which is ablaze with pro-Putin, pro-Russia propaganda — jingoism that would not be allowed if it did not follow the party line.”
Intel Leaks: A chain of intel leaks began at the end of 2021, when Biden administration officials shared Russian intelligence with top Chinese officials. These meetings were held in hope that the CCP would urge Russia not to invade. Instead, in an unsurprising breach of trust, the CCP officials shared the content of these meetings with Russia, claiming that the US was “trying to sow discord.”
Science Gone Mad
Not a Heartbeat?: The New York Times would like to convince its readers that the early heartbeat of a first-trimester baby is not a heartbeat at all. These attempts to dehumanize the baby’s life describe its heartbeat as “electric activity” occurring in a “six-week-old cardiac tube.”
“When is a heartbeat not a heartbeat?” asks PRI President Steven Mosher. “The answer: when the New York Times wants to attack Heartbeat legislation. It’s probably the most inane defense of abortion I have ever heard. The NYT is saying, in effect, that tiny babies don’t really have a heartbeat, when of course they do.”
CRISPR Debate Continued: Two bioethicists in China are looking to create a research center dedicated to the three children created with edited genomes. The discussion opened in response to the upcoming release of the geneticist responsible for these CRISPR babies, He Jiankui.
Pro-Life Around the World
French Abortion Extension: The French National Assembly voted on extending the legal abortion limit from 12-weeks to 14-weeks. The majority voted the bill in, allowing the extension. This is the second extension since abortion was legalized in 1975, the last time being from 10 to 12 weeks in 2001.
Colombian Crimes: Urged on by UN bodies, Colombia has loosened their abortion laws. Abortion-on-demand is allowed up to the 24th week of pregnancy. Even worse, the court has declared that the abortion of disabled babies or babies conceived by rape can never be criminalized.
Pregnancy in Poland: The Confederation of Polish Women hosted a pro-pregnancy conference to explore ways to assist difficulties that women face during pregnancy. Professors and psychologists discussed the ways to improve the social, medical, and psychological facets of pregnancy.
A Welcome End: The UK government has confirmed the upcoming end of DIY-abortions. The long-lasting temporary approval of mail-order abortion medications from March 2020 will finally end August 30th, 2022.
Pro-Life on the Home Front
The Abortion Pill Era: The Guttmacher Institute has released new statistics showing that medication abortions accounted for more than half of abortions in the United States in 2020. Since 2000, the percent of medication abortion has steadily risen as providers and organizations, including Guttmacher, market it as a “safe and effective option.”
Abortion Bill Fails: On Monday, the Senate voted on the Women’s Health Protection Act. The act, which would have codified Roe v. Wade into law, failed by one vote. Siding with the Republicans, democrat Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia gave the deciding vote.
Overruling Roe: The United States is the closest it has ever been to eliminating or, at least, seriously scaling back Roe v. Wade. Conservatives wait with baited breath for the Supreme Court justices to stand by their principles, while Lliberals wait terrified of such a serious pro-life win.
Good News
Best Shock of a Lifetime: Georgia mom, Madison Collier, thought she was expecting her second baby, only to find out at 8-weeks that she was carrying naturally-conceived quadruplets. With no IVF involved, this is a 1 in 700,000 chance. Madison and her husband welcomed the challenge. The babies were born at 28-weeks and were able to come home after 2 months in the NICU. Today the four of them are growing and thriving at 5-months-old.
Quote of the Week
“We are asked to love and honour the life of every man and woman and to work with perseverance and courage so that our time, marked by all too many signs of death, may at last witness the establishment of a new culture of life, the fruit of the culture of truth and of love.”
~Pope Saint John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae
