In This Issue:
- PRI in the Media
- China’s Brutal Crimes Exposed
- Deepening Depopulation
- Italy’s Births Fall to Record Low
- Poland Enacts Zero Tax for Families
- Pope Calls for Family Revival
- Housing Reform Threatens Family Life
- Communist China
- Largest Christian Crackdown in Decades
- Science Gone Mad
- U.S. Bishops Condemn IVF Expansion
- HRSA Exposes Organ Harvest Scandal
- Pro-Life Around the World
- Uruguay Legalizes Assisted Dying
- Costa Rica Strengthens Unborn Protections
- Pro-Life on the Home Front
- 34-Week Abortions Allowed in Colorado
- Pennsylvania Wants Abortion Up to Birth
- Michigan Urgent Care Begins Abortions
- Good News
- Catholic Faith Still Growing Globally
PRI in the Media
China’s Brutal Crimes Exposed: This week, PRI President Steven Mosher appeared on NTD to expose the Chinese Communist Party’s ongoing human rights atrocities, including forced abortion, sterilization, and organ harvesting. Mr. Mosher described how organ harvesting has become a “big business” in China, with organs ordered in advance—proof that victims are killed on demand. He also noted that the CCP’s one-child policy has claimed over 70 million lives and led to today’s fertility collapse. Mr. Mosher concluded that only the United States can confront China through true reciprocity and moral resolve.
Deepening Depopulation
Italy’s Births Fall to Record Low: Italy’s fertility crisis has deepened, with births dropping to the lowest level since national unification in 1861. According to Italy’s statistics bureau ISTAT, only 370,000 babies were born last year—a 6.3% decline from 2024—and just 198,000 births were recorded between January and July 2025. The fertility rate has fallen to 1.13 children per woman. Experts warn this “demographic emergency” threatens the nation’s economy and social stability. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has introduced incentives to boost family growth, but Italy’s population continues to age and shrink at an alarming rate.
Poland Enacts Zero Tax for Families: Poland’s new president, Karol Nawrocki, has enacted a sweeping pro-family reform exempting income tax for parents of two or more children. The policy—hailed as one of Europe’s boldest family measures—will ease financial burdens, strengthen middle-class households, and encourage childbearing. Nawrocki, a devout Catholic and father of three, calls the reform part of Poland’s “tax armour” to defend families and restore Christian roots. With the nation’s fertility rate at just 1.2, the move signals a powerful stand for faith, family, and national renewal in an age of demographic decline.
Pope Calls for Family Revival: Pope Leo XIV has urged a “concerted effort” to defend family life as Europe’s birth rates plunge to historic lows. During his meeting with Italian President Sergio Mattarella, the Pope warned that collapsing fertility threatens the continent’s future—its economies, societies, and identity. Europe’s fertility rate has fallen to just 1.38, and Pope Leo emphasized that true renewal must begin with the family, praising parents and children as the heart of society. His remarks come as nations worldwide face similar demographic decline and cultural retreat from family life.
Housing Reform Threatens Family Life: Congress’s new ROAD to Housing Act, passed as part of the National Defense Authorization Act, aims to boost housing supply, but critics warn it could accelerate the loss of family homes. While the bill reduces red tape for new construction, it mainly benefits developers of small apartments, not the family-sized homes Americans want. By incentivizing the replacement of single-family neighborhoods with studio units, it risks deepening the nation’s fertility decline. Experts urge lawmakers to revise the bill to prioritize family-friendly housing—homes where children can grow, not more empty apartments.
Communist China
Largest Christian Crackdown in Decades: China has launched what advocates call the “largest arrest of Christians in decades,” detaining more than 30 members of the underground Zion Church network, including its founder, Pastor Jin Mingri. Once one of China’s most influential house churches, Zion was targeted after years of surveillance and harassment. Pastor Jin is reportedly being held in Beihai Prison on charges of “illegal use of information networks.” Religious freedom groups warn this could mark the start of a wider crackdown on unregistered churches that reject Party ideology, as Beijing tightens its grip on faith and demands loyalty to the Communist Party.
“The crackdown on religion has been ongoing since the Communist takeover in 1949,” says Mr. Mosher. “But the intensity of it has ebbed and flowed over the years. The current leader, Xi Jinping, is intensifying the persecution to levels not seen since the days of Mao. Martyrs are being made.”
Science Gone Mad
U.S. Bishops Condemn IVF Expansion: U.S. bishops have strongly criticized President Trump’s new plan to expand access to in vitro fertilization (IVF), warning that it violates the sanctity of human life. In a joint statement, Bishops Robert Barron, Kevin Rhoades, and Daniel Thomas said IVF freezes and destroys embryos, treating them “like property.” Bishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington added that IVF “subverts the dignity of parents as well as the lives of unborn children,” creating and discarding human lives. While welcoming ethical fertility care, Church leaders urged the administration to promote life-affirming alternatives that respect both parents and their preborn children.
HRSA Exposes Organ Harvest Scandal: A shocking investigation has revealed that some U.S. hospitals began organ-removal procedures before confirming patients were truly dead. The Health Resources & Services Administration found that nearly 30% of reviewed organ-donation cases showed “characteristics of concern,” including 28 patients who “may not have been deceased” when surgeries began. In one case, a woman named Misty Hawkins reportedly regained a heartbeat mid-procedure, yet doctors continued the operation, raising grave ethical concerns about the value placed on human life.
Pro-Life Around the World
Uruguay Legalizes Assisted Dying: In a tragic first for Latin America, Uruguay has voted to legalize assisted dying after a 10-hour Senate debate, with 20 of 31 lawmakers supporting the measure. The “Dignified Death” bill allows doctors to end the lives of terminally ill adults who request it in writing. Catholic leaders condemned this deadly law, warning it “contributes to thinking that some lives are disposable.” Uruguay, already known for its liberal stance on abortion and same-sex marriage, now becomes the first nation in the region to legalize euthanasia, with 62% of citizens supporting the deadly shift.
Costa Rica Strengthens Unborn Protections: Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves has tightened the nation’s abortion rules, limiting the procedure solely to cases where the mother’s life is at risk. Previously, abortion was permitted when a woman’s health was endangered, following a 2019 regulation that clarified long-ambiguous exceptions in the country’s law. Chaves fulfilled his promise to religious leaders by narrowing the rule through a new Health Ministry directive. Costa Rica now joins its Central American neighbors in reaffirming the principle that every life deserves protection.
Pro-Life on the Home Front
Abortions to 34 Weeks Allowed in Colorado: A new Colorado facility, the RISE Collective, is now performing abortions through all nine months of pregnancy—as late as 34 weeks—for “any reason.” Founded by former staff of late-term abortionist Warren Hern’s Boulder clinic, RISE continues his legacy as one of only a handful of U.S. sites offering elective abortions well past fetal viability. Pro-life leaders condemned the move, warning it turns Colorado into a hub for abortion tourism.
Pennsylvania Wants Abortion Up to Birth: Pennsylvania’s Democrat-led House Judiciary Committee is advancing a radical package of six abortion bills that would legalize abortion up to birth and enshrine it as a state constitutional “right.” The centerpiece, HB 1957, would erase Pennsylvania’s 24-week limit, taxpayer protections, and informed-consent safeguards. The measures would return Pennsylvania to the horrors of the Kermit Gosnell era, stripping women of counseling and safety protections while granting abortionists broad legal immunity.
Michigan Urgent Care Begins Abortions: After Planned Parenthood’s Marquette clinic closed earlier this year, a local urgent care facility began performing abortions, the first of its kind in the nation. Dr. Viktoria Koskenoja and Dr. Shawn Brown of Marquette Medical Urgent Care say they hope to remove the “stigma” by offering abortions alongside routine medical care. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel praised the move and hopes to expand it statewide. Turning urgent-care centers into abortion sites erases the boundary between healing and killing, as the abortion industry continues to rebrand abortion as “health care.”
Good News
Catholic Faith Still Growing Globally: The Catholic Church continues to grow worldwide. According to new Vatican data, the global Catholic population rose by 15.8 million in 2023, bringing the total share of Catholics to 17.8% of the world’s population. Growth was strongest in Africa (+8.3 million) and America (+5.6 million), with smaller increases in Asia and Europe. Although priestly and religious vocations continue to decline, the Church’s expanding flock offers hope for renewal and reminds us that the world still hungers for truth and faith.
Quote of the Week
“In recent decades, we have witnessed in Europe as we have seen a notable decline in the birth rate. This calls for a concerted effort to promote choices at all levels in favor of the family, supporting its efforts, promoting its values, and protecting its needs and rights.”
~ Pope Leo XIV
