In This Issue:
- Deepening Depopulation
- New Lowest Global Birth Rate
- Saving America Starts with Families
- Australia Headed for Record Low Births
- Communist China
- China Moves to Crush Churches
- China Still Paying for One-Child Policy
- Science Gone Mad
- Scientist Wants to Manipulate Fertility
- Pro-Life Around the World
- Abortion Allowed Over Marital Stress
- Pope Condemns Abortion and Surrogacy
- Abortion Deadlier Than All Else
- Euthanasia Turned into Organ Supply
- Pro-Life on the Home Front
- Funding Cuts Hit Global Abortion Giant
- Texas Stops Abortion Tourism
- Pregnancy Helpline Sees Record Growth
- Good News
- Premature Baby Goes Home
Deepening Depopulation
New Lowest Global Birth Rate: Taiwan has broken the record for world’s lowest birth rate, according to newly released government data. Births fell for the 10th consecutive year, with just 107,812 newborns in 2025, a 20% drop from 2024. Taiwan’s birth rate stands at 4.62 per 1,000 people, with its total fertility rate estimated at around 0.72, despite recent government subsidies aimed at boosting births. Roughly 20% of Taiwan’s population is now age 65 or older, officially classifying the island as a “super-aged society.”
Saving America Starts with Families: The Heritage Foundation has released a new report outlining a conservative roadmap for restoring marriage and family life in the United States. Titled Saving America by Saving the Family, the report warns that low marriage and fertility rates threaten the nation’s future and calls for bold reforms to reverse decades of family decline. Heritage’s president, Kevin Roberts, and policy chief, Roger Severino, urge eliminating all marriage penalties, supporting married parents, and restructuring tax and welfare policies to reward family formation and raising children at home.
Australia Headed for Record Low Births: Australia’s fertility rate is projected to fall to a historic low of 1.42 children per woman in 2025–26, according to the government’s new Population Statement. Although the population recently passed 27.5 million, growth is slowing. Forecasts are now predicting that the population will reach 31.5 million by 2036, which is about 150,000 fewer than previously expected. The report warns that sustained low fertility and rapid ageing will reshape Australia’s economy, housing, and public services for decades to come.
Communist China
China Moves to Crush Churches: Chinese authorities have intensified their crackdown on underground Christian churches, arresting leaders and demolishing church buildings in multiple cities. In Chengdu, Early Rain Covenant Church reported that nine members were detained, with four still in custody. In Wenzhou—often called China’s “Jerusalem”—officials began tearing down Yayang Church after arresting about 100 members in December, with at least 24 still detained, according to Human Rights Watch. A Chinese researcher commented on this crackdown, saying that Xi Jinping’s government has “intensified its intolerance of loyalties beyond the Chinese Communist Party.” Unless Churches are under CCP influence, they will not be safe from these attacks.
China Still Paying for One-Child Policy: China is now paying the demographic price of its decades-long one-child policy, as fertility continues to collapse despite aggressive government incentives. The policy, enforced from 1980 to 2016, reduced urban one-child households to 96% by 1982 and reshaped family norms. Today, China’s fertility rate hovers at around one child per woman, according to the World Bank, and the population has been in a steady state of decline since 2022. The United Nations projects China’s population will fall from 1.4 billion to 633 million by 2100, despite new subsidies, tax changes, and pro-marriage campaigns.
Science Gone Mad
Scientist Wants to Manipulate Fertility: Chinese biologist Hongmei Wang is advancing ethically troubling experiments aimed at extending female fertility, including delaying menopause and manipulating menstrual cycles. Her work relies on stem-cell injections, ovarian intervention, and pushing human embryo research beyond established boundaries. Wang has experimented on mice to reduce menstruation to once every three months in an effort to preserve eggs. While most countries prohibit cultivating human embryos beyond 14 days to prevent experimentation on early human development, Wang signals that China and others may soon extend this limit to 20–28 days, dismantling long-standing ethical safeguards and expanding the practice of human experimentation.
Pro-Life Around the World
Abortion Allowed Over Marital Stress: India’s Delhi High Court has ruled that a married woman may legally abort her 14-week-old unborn child based solely on “stress” caused by marital discord, citing mental-health grounds. The court dismissed criminal charges after relying on a 2022 Supreme Court ruling that expanded abortion access up to 24 weeks for all women. The decision excludes the father from the process and treats relational stress as sufficient justification for ending unborn life. Notably, studies indicate women who undergo abortion are more than twice as likely to experience serious mental-health issues compared to those who give birth.
Pope Condemns Abortion and Surrogacy: Speaking to diplomats from 184 nations, Pope Leo XIV condemned both abortion and surrogacy as violations of human dignity, calling life “a gift to be cherished” and the family its rightful guardian. He rejected practices that exploit or deny the origin of life, exposing abortion for cutting short “a growing life” and criticizing governments that fund abortion access instead of supporting mothers and families. The Pope also denounced surrogacy as turning gestation into a “negotiable service” that commodifies children and exploits women, reaffirming the Church’s call for a global ban on the practice.
Abortion Deadlier Than All Else: New global data reveal that abortion claimed at least 73 million lives worldwide in 2025, exceeding deaths from all other causes combined by more than 10 million, according to estimates cited by the World Health Organization. In the United States alone, total abortions since Roe v. Wade now approach 65 million, with roughly 3,000 preborn children killed each day. Guttmacher estimates nearly 88,000 abortions per month in 2024, driven largely by chemical abortions and telehealth distribution, many of which remain underreported.
Euthanasia Turned into Organ Supply: A senior official from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has sharply criticized Canada for taking organs from people who die through its euthanasia program, Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD), calling the practice a “strange new horror.” Since euthanasia was legalized, the number of organs harvested from euthanized patients has risen sharply. In 2022, 286 people in four countries donated organs after being euthanized, 136 of them in Canada. Canadian data shows that in 2024, 7% of deceased organ donations and 5% of all transplants came from MAiD patients.
Pro-Life on the Home Front
Funding Cuts Hit Global Abortion Giant: The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) is sounding the alarm after U.S. funding cuts sharply curtailed its global operations. The abortion giant reports that 40% of its member organizations have reduced staff, with nearly 1,000 positions eliminated and 1,394 facilities closed or never opened. The group claims a projected $87.2 million funding loss through 2029 and says millions may lose access to its services. These closures weaken the global abortion infrastructure long reliant on U.S. taxpayer support, particularly in Africa and the Middle East, where IPPF has aggressively promoted abortion and contraception.
“The news that IPPF is cutting 1,000 staff is music to my ears,” says Mr. Mosher. “The Trump administration’s cut-off of funding to the population controllers is forcing them to cut back staff and close offices. Hopefully they will now be forced to find something honorable to do for a living other than aborting, sterilizing and contracepting their fellow human beings.”
Texas Stops Abortion Tourism: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has declared victory after San Antonio shut down its abortion travel fund, following the passage of Senate Bill 33, which bans the use of taxpayer dollars for abortion-related travel. The city had previously allocated $100,000 to pay for travel out of state for abortions despite Texas’s pro-life laws. While city officials argue Paxton dropped his lawsuit rather than winning it, the fund was closed after SB 33 became law in August 2025. The result is the same: taxpayer-funded abortion tourism has ended, and more preborn lives may now be protected.
Pregnancy Helpline Sees Record Growth: Heartbeat International reports that its pregnancy helpline, Option Line, received more than 1.3 million contacts in 2025, more than triple the number served in 2024. The 24/7 service now averages 3,700 contacts per day, connecting pregnant women in crisis with compassionate support, accurate information, and referrals to local pregnancy help centers. Callers can reach trained consultants and nurses via phone, text, or live chat, and are often connected to ultrasounds and practical assistance. This surge reflects growing trust in life-affirming care and the expanding reach of the pregnancy help movement.
Good News
Premature Baby Goes Home: Baby Isla, born nearly three months early and weighing just one and a half pounds, finally went home on her first birthday after spending a full year in the hospital. Isla faced serious complications but overcame them all, including congenital lobar emphysema, requiring lung surgery, and bronchopulmonary dysplasia. On the day she was discharged, NICU staff lined the halls to celebrate her journey. Her story is an inspiring reminder of the strength of premature babies and the value of every human life.
Quote of the Week
“The primary objective must remain the protection of every unborn child and the effective and concrete support of every woman so that she is able to welcome life.”
~ Pope Leo XIV
