In This Issue:
- PRI in the Media
- CCP Targets Falun Gong
- Deepening Depopulation
- Alone at the Holidays
- UN Misdeeds
- Burundi Fights Back
- Science Gone Mad
- Secrets of the IVF Pioneer
- Another IVF Experiment
- Pro-Life Around the World
- Misled on Chemical Abortion
- NZ’s Abortion Stats Released
- Pro-Life on the Home Front
- ProPublica’s Lying Strategy
- Refusal to Carry Abortion Drugs
- Good News
- Merry Christmas from the NICU
PRI in the Media
CCP Targets Falun Gong: Whistleblowers have revealed that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is orchestrating a global campaign targeting Falun Gong practitioners and their companies in the United States. This includes Shen Yun Performing Arts, which aims to raise awareness about CCP persecution. The attacks, including bomb threats, shootings, social media harassment, lawsuits, and physical violence, are part of a broader effort to eliminate Falun Gong and its associated media, like The Epoch Times and NTD Television. Ordered by CCP leader Xi Jinping in 2022, the campaign uses disinformation, U.S. legal systems, and undercover operatives to silence critics, with top CCP officials overseeing the operation.
As Mr. Mosher shared with The Epoch Times, “The CCP’s campaign against the Falun Gong is only the most outrageous example of the way that Beijing is interfering in American sovereignty on a daily basis.”
Deepening Depopulation
Alone at the Holidays: A growing number of American adults are facing a “kinless” Christmas, with declining marriage and fertility rates leading to more people without spouses or children. For the first time in U.S. history, the share of “kinless” prime-aged adults (18-55), defined as those who are never married and have no children at home, has surpassed those who are married with children. Additionally, over 1 in 5 Americans in their 50s have never had children, and an increasing number of younger adults are unlikely to become parents. The consequences of this kinless future extend beyond loneliness during the holidays, with the nation as a whole facing social and economic change as a result of an aging population without close family ties.
UN Misdeeds
Burundi Fights Back: The Ambassador of Burundi, Zéphyrin Maniratang, made a strong defense of life and family during his address at a recent UN General Assembly. He condemned the characterization of abortion as “safe” and reaffirmed his country’s laws that protect unborn children. He then went on to emphasize that abortion always ends a life and causes lasting harm to mothers, referencing the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development that declared abortion should not be promoted but avoided. Maniratang criticized the use of terms like “sexual and reproductive health: as euphemisms for abortion and urged the UN to respect national laws. He also opposed the promotion of sexual autonomy for children in resolutions against child marriage and condemned the manipulation of UN resolutions by Western nations to advance controversial social norms.
Science Gone Mad
Secrets of the IVF Pioneer: A retired NHS scientist, Roy Hollihead, has revealed that in vitro fertilization (IVF) pioneer Patrick Steptoe used “lots” of sperm from multiple medical staff members, including Hollihead, without keeping records of the resulting children. Steptoe used sperm from lab staff, medical students, and doctors for his fertility clinics. In some cases, he even mixed staff and donor sperm to see what would happen. The lack of documentation has made it difficult to trace the full extent of the practice. Hollihead, who worked in a pathology lab at Oldham Hospital in the early 1970s, discovered that his sperm had impregnated at least four women. Hollihead claims that at the time he did not consider the long-term consequences of his actions.
For more information on the process, risks, and consequences of IVF, read our fact sheet.
Another IVF Experiment: A company has added a new step to IVF that makes the process even more of a science experiment than before. Gameto, a company specializing in fertility technology, has announced a groundbreaking achievement: the world’s first live birth using its product, Fertilo, which matures eggs outside the female body. The process involves extracting immature eggs and using engineered ovarian support cells to replicate natural egg maturation in a lab. This experimental technology may have negative consequences on the children conceived after this process that are yet unknown. Either way, IVF is an immoral process that involves the unnatural creation of–and in many cases, destruction of or experimentation on–embryonic children.
Pro-Life Around the World
Misled on Chemical Abortion: A survey of 1,500 women has revealed that at-home chemical abortions are much more painful than medical professionals had indicated. Many women reported that the pain was more intense than expected, with nearly half saying it was worse than anticipated and over 40% describing it as severe. While women were told the pain would be similar to period cramps, some described it as comparable to labor contractions, with one respondent, a mother of three, noting the pain was nearly identical to giving birth. Many women expressed that the pain was so overwhelming they would choose a surgical abortion if given the option again. The survey found that the information provided by medical professionals and abortion leaflets often downplayed the pain, leading to a mismatch between expectations and reality.
For more information on chemical abortions, read our Abortion Pill Fact Sheet.
NZ’s Abortion Stats Released: New Zealand’s Ministry of Health has released its official annual report on abortion, revealing a troubling increase in the number of abortions. A total of 16,277 chemical and surgical abortions were performed in 2023, marking a 14.9% rise from 2022 and a nearly 23% increase since the 2020 passage of the Abortion Legislation Act. This equates to 44 abortions per day or two every hour.
“We must not lose heart,” says Michelle Kaufman, Director of New Zealand’s Family Life International. “It appears that Satan has won. He has not. We must remain faithful, assisting pregnant mothers in their greatest hour of need and educating people, especially our youth, about the sacredness of human life, and the urgent need to protect the most innocent amongst us, our pre-born brothers and sisters.”
Pro-Life on the Home Front
ProPublica’s Lying Strategy: ProPublica has intensified its biased attacks on pro-life states, publishing four articles in the past two weeks accusing maternal mortality review committees in these states of ignoring the alleged risks posed by pro-life laws to women’s health. Despite experts acknowledging that it’s nearly impossible to definitively link maternal deaths to pro-life laws, ProPublica insists that these laws are causing harm and misrepresents the role of maternal mortality committees. Pro-abortion media–often kickstarted by ProPublica’s claims–continues to state, without any solid evidence, that women are dying because of pro-life laws.
Refusal to Carry Abortion Drugs: Both Kroger and Sam’s Club have recently claimed that the listing of the abortion drug mifepristone on their pharmacy websites was a mistake caused by errors from third-party vendors. Kroger initially listed the drug on its Health Savings Club website but quickly removed it after the error was identified. Similarly, Sam’s Club removed the abortion pill listing after a third-party vendor’s pricing tool provided incorrect information. Despite the Biden administration easing restrictions on mifepristone in 2023 and pressure from Democratic lawmakers, only CVS and Walgreens have caved to dispensing the dangerous drug. Other major pharmacy chains like Walmart, Costco, and more continue to stand strong.
Good News
Merry Christmas from the NICU: This year, hospitals around the nation brought families Christmas joy by dressing up premature babies in the NICU for the holiday. From little gingerbread babies to snowmen, the babies were swaddled and dressed up for the season.
“We want to create joy and memories for our NICU families,” said Kerry Thompson, NICU nurse at one of the participating hospitals, St. Francis in Memphis, “The last few years that we have been dressing the babies up for various holidays has been an uplifting experience for our staff and the parents. Inserting a spurt of fun and whimsical humor into what can be a stressful time for families really has an immeasurable impact.”
Quote of the Week
“Despite the challenges of the darkness in our world, we can all take heart, for Christ is our light and our hope. For Christ tells us as clearly with His birth as He does on the night of His Passion, ‘In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.’ (John 16:33)”
~ PRI President Steven Mosher
