In This Issue:
- PRI in the Media
- The Underground Church
- Freedom Rises in Latin America
- Deepening Depopulation
- Population Implosion Warning
- Japan and South Korea Tackle Birth Decline
- Singapore Confronts Birth Crisis
- Communist China
- China Targets House Church Preacher
- Hong Kong’s Childcare Problem
- Science Gone Mad
- Twins Divided by Surrogacy
- Pro-Life Around the World
- Scotland Considers Abortion Until Birth
- Coerced Abortions Kill Two Girls
- Belfast City Hall to Promote Abortion
- Pro-Life on the Home Front
- Abortion Pill Safeguards Exposed
- Abortion Pill Lawsuit Paused
- Good News
- Baby Born at 22 Weeks Thrives
PRI in the Media
The Underground Church: PRI President Steven Mosher’s upcoming book The Underground Church is now available for pre-order. Drawing on decades of firsthand experience in China, Mr. Mosher tells the powerful stories of Catholics who endured persecution, torture, and martyrdom rather than abandon their faith. The book honors the extraordinary courage of China’s faithful, while also exposing the Chinese Communist Party’s decades-long campaign against.
Freedom Rises in Latin America: This week, PRI President Steven Mosher’s piece was picked up by RealClearPolitics, exposing how USAID helped advance abortion, gender ideology, and other left-wing causes throughout Latin America. Mr. Mosher argues that USAID’s closure has weakened this externally funded political network, allowing Latin Americans to reclaim their countries. Conservative governments now outnumber left-wing governments 12 to 7 across the region—a dramatic reversal from the Biden years, when the Left held a two-to-one advantage.
Deepening Depopulation
Population Implosion Warning: A new study warns that the global fertility rate may already be below the 2.1 replacement level, raising the prospect of worldwide population decline later this century. When Paul Ehrlich published The Population Bomb in 1968, fertility was nearly 5 children per woman. Researchers now warn that aging populations and shrinking workforces will slow economic growth and strain younger generations.
Japan and South Korea Tackle Birth Decline: Business leaders from Japan and South Korea have launched a bilateral committee to address falling birth rates and population decline in both countries. The initiative will bring together business, labor, and academic leaders to share strategies for confronting their demographic crises. Business leaders also called for expanding opportunities, education, and community between young people in both countries.
Singapore Confronts Birth Crisis: Singapore is rolling out roughly $55,000 in financial support per child as its fertility rate fell to just 0.87 children per woman in 2025, down from about 1.6 in 2000. Officials warn fertility is now so low that the population could collapse by more than 50% in a single generation. The package includes cash payments, childcare, housing assistance, and expanded parental leave.
Communist China
China Targets House Church Preacher: Chinese authorities have brought criminal charges against Sun Chao, a preacher at an unregistered house church in Yunnan. Sun was detained for 12 days on July 25th for participating in “unauthorized religious activity,” but instead of being released, his case was upgraded to criminal charges for organizing illegal gatherings. He now faces prolonged detention and a formal trial amid China’s continued crackdown on independent Christians.
“It is not just unregistered congregations that are being targeted, but also churches that have joined the so-called Patriotic Church run by the Chinese government,” says Mr. Mosher. “Catholic Churches, even those registered with the Catholic Patriotic Association, have been told to close down their bookstores, stop evangelization efforts, and stop organizing events outside the church proper, such as pilgrimages to Catholic shrines. As I write in my forthcoming book, The Underground Church, the public ‘space’ for any expression of belief is shrinking.”
Hong Kong’s Childcare Problem: Hong Kong’s childcare shortage is putting pressure on working parents even as births hit a record low. The city recorded just 29,700 births from mid-2025 to mid-2026, down 15.6% year-on-year. While 553 childcare centres serve about 43,000 children, demand remains high: one centre has more than 70 families waiting for just 88 places, highlighting a major barrier for parents.
Science Gone Mad
Twins Divided by Surrogacy: An Australian woman gave birth to twins with different biological parents after becoming naturally pregnant around the time an IVF embryo was implanted under a surrogacy arrangement. Born the same day in November 2025, the children are being raised by separate families. The unprecedented case required a complex court ruling, highlighting the legal and ethical complications of IVF and surrogacy and the commodification of women and children that these practices enable.
Pro-Life Around the World
Scotland Considers Abortion Until Birth: A leaked SNP conference agenda includes a motion that could remove penalties for women performing their own abortions for any reason, including sex-selective abortions, up to birth. The proposal comes as Scotland recorded a record 18,783 abortions in 2025, up nearly 55% from 2016. Polling shows that only 1% of women support allowing abortion up to birth.
Coerced Abortions Kill Two Girls: Two 14-year-old girls in northern India died following separate illegal abortions they were reportedly pressured or forced to undergo. One was five months pregnant after allegedly being raped, while the second was approximately seven months pregnant. Both girls and their unborn babies tragically died following the abortions, and police are investigating those involved.
Belfast City Hall to Promote Abortion: Belfast City Hall will be illuminated in green on September 28 to mark “International Safe Abortion Day” following an 11–3 vote. The decision has sparked strong opposition from pro-life and Christian groups across Northern Ireland. Around 20,000 people have signed a petition demanding the illumination be cancelled, arguing that public resources should not be used to promote or celebrate abortion.
Pro-Life on the Home Front
Abortion Pill Safeguards Exposed: A five-month-long Senate Republican investigation found major oversight gaps in the prescribing and distribution of abortion pills. The report found that manufacturers failed to adequately oversee prescribers while earning tens of millions of dollars annually. It also cited an undercover investigation showing that girls as young as 13 could obtain abortion pills, raising concerns about coercion and abuse of women.
“Both the FDA and the manufacturers of these deadly drugs have been missing in action,” says Mr. Mosher. “Many online prescribers are completely ignoring the rules, sending the Abortion Pill to virtually anyone who requests it. The FDA, at a minimum, needs to reinstate the guardrails that kept mothers safe. Better yet, yank these drugs off the market entirely.”
Abortion Pill Lawsuit Paused: A federal judge has temporarily paused a lawsuit by Florida and Texas seeking to restrict the abortion pill mifepristone, while the FDA completes a safety review of the drug. The lawsuit challenges the FDA’s previous approval and subsequent rules expanding access, including abortion pills by mail. Mifepristone is currently used in more than 60% of U.S. abortions.
Good News
Baby Born at 22 Weeks Thrives: Sebastian was born at just 22 weeks and one day, weighing only 1 pound and 2 ounces, after doctors warned his mother that he was unlikely to survive. After battling infections and respiratory problems during 113 days in the NICU, Sebastian finally went home. Nearly a year later, he weighs 14 pounds, and is meeting his developmental milestones, and is expected to grow up healthy.
Quote of the Week
“The dehumanization of unborn children does not end with their deaths. It often continues as not just abortionists, but hospitals and other doctors treat their remains as nothing more than ‘biological waste.’ Human beings must always be treated with dignity, in life as well as in death.”
~ PRI President Steven Mosher
