In This Issue:
- PRI in the Media
- The Left’s Lies Exposed
- Bishop Heads to Beijing
- Deepening Depopulation
- Aging Stateside
- Czech Republic Slowly Dies
- Babies for the Military
- Communist China
- New Gene-Editing Rules
- Worst of the Worst
- UN Misdeeds
- Never Enough Birth Control
- Pro-Lifers Get Harassed
- Science Gone Mad
- Two Fathers, One Baby
- Conclusion…Still Unethical
- Treated as Chattel
- Pro-Life Around the World
- Decade-Long Ban Over
- Macron Spouts Abortion
- Pro-Life on the Home Front
- Real Inclusivity
- Family Caucus Launches
- Radical Plans in NM
- Deadly Dallas Center Closes
- Good News
- Record Breaking Babies
PRI in the Media
The Left’s Lies Exposed: Following the release of the truth behind the lab leak theory, more truths come to light in Washington D.C. After years of keeping security camera footage from the “January 6th Insurrection” under wraps, the gig is up. Turns out it wasn’t the insurrection the Democrats spun it as, after all.
Bishop Heads to Beijing: Bishop Stephen Chow, SJ, of Hong Kong has accepted an offer to visit Archbishop Joseph Li Shan next month. This communication between Chow and Li Shan, president of the CCP-approved Catholic church, seems like a positive step forward. But the CCP is ever-interested in control, not coexistence and cooperation.
PRI President Steven Mosher says, “Of course, the United Front Department of the CCP, which is responsible for directing the activities of the Patriotic Catholic Church, will also try the same tactics on the Church in Hong Kong. Remember, ‘Sinicization means that all religious communities should be led by the Party, controlled by the Party, and support the Party.’ The CCP only allows religious organizations to exist if they agree to serve, in effect, as extensions of the Party. That’s what ‘united front’ means in the Chinese Communist context.”
Deepening Depopulation
Aging Stateside: Much attention is given to the demographic issues of Japan, especially in light of the recent warning from Japan’s prime minister. But across the ocean in the U.S. some states are facing aging issues that closely resemble Japan. Right now, Virginia has 5 counties with populations older than Japan’s and 15 more heading that way as well.
Czech Republic Slowly Dies: The Czech Republic has joined the ranks of countries whose birth rates fell in 2022. Each month saw 1000 fewer births than its corresponding month the previous year.
Babies for the Military: In a series of ideological lectures, North Korean mothers were given a new reason to have babies. Government officials are pushing these mothers to have more children in order to boost future military numbers. This was referred to as an act of “greatest patriotism.”
“One of the poorest countries in the world, under the leadership of ‘Little Rocket Man,’ as President Trump called him, remains intent upon conquering democratic South Korea,” says PRI President Steven Mosher. “Kim Jong-il wants more soldiers for his army to achieve this goal. The starving North Koreans can barely feed the ones they have.”
Communist China
New Gene-Editing Rules: New rules for gene-editing, set five years ago, closed some previously-exploited loopholes. But experts worry that these requirements still aren’t watertight. Dr. Joy Zhang warns that these rules may leave authorities susceptible to “regulatory negligence.” Because the guidelines may not apply to organizations or individuals in the private sector.
“There is no ‘private sector’ in China, properly speaking,” says PRI President Steven Mosher. “Everything is controlled, directly and indirectly, by the state. Neither is there anything resembling the ‘rule of law.’ The CCP is very interested in creating, using gene editing techniques, both clones and ‘super soldiers.’ The existence (or nonexistence) of formal rules is irrelevant. This dangerous research will continue.”
Worst of the Worst: The think tank Freedom House compiled a 210-country report ranking each by the level of freedom. Unsurprisingly, China was listed as among the “worst of the worst” in this area, alongside Myanmar, North Korea, and more.
UN Misdeeds
Never Enough Birth Control: The UN continues to push birth control on adolescent girls around the world. Despite increasing access to contraceptives in the past decade, this “progress” is still not enough for UNICEF.
“There will always be an ‘unmet need’ for contraception according to the UN,” says PRI President Steven Mosher. “This is because the UN defines ‘unmet need’ as any woman who gets pregnant within two years of having a child. The fact that she wanted to conceive another child is irrelevant.”
Pro-Lifers Get Harassed: The UN has made it very clear in its documents and resolutions that it is opposed to family and life. This was once again evident at the annual UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). Though a few pro-family and pro-life events were allowed, they received much backlash and verbal harassment.
Science Gone Mad
Two Fathers, One Baby: A Japanese researcher announced that he has created eggs using cells from male mice. Prof Katsuhiko Hayashi from Osaka University is paving the way for male couples to pay for scientists to create children from their genetic material. Thankfully, at this time, it is still too difficult to apply this to human materials, which are much more complex than those from mice.
Conclusion…Still Unethical: Last week, the Third International Summit on Human Genome Editing came to an end. The conclusion from this year’s event was, once again, that human genome editing techniques are not safe enough to be used on human embryos.
Treated as Chattel: A Virginia judge made waves after ruling that frozen human embryos can be considered property or “chattel.” The precedent for this case was based on a 19th-century law regarding slaves. While many object to the use of such controversial laws, this is a clear admission that embryos are human and points to the misuse of these humans trapped in ice.
Pro-Life Around the World
Decade-Long Ban Over: After ten years of enforcement, Honduras will no longer have a ban on the use and sale of the morning-after pill. Honduras is a heavily Catholic nation, but President Xiomara Castro is catering to the wishes of feminist groups.
Macron Spouts Abortion: In November, France’s National Assembly voted to add abortion to the constitution, but no timeline was set. Now President Macron is saying this amendment will be submitted for approval in the next few months. According to Macron, this change will, “enshrine the freedom of women to choose abortion, and be a solemn guarantee that nothing can ever limit or abolish this right because it will have become irreversible.”
Pro-Life on the Home Front
Real Inclusivity: New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan recently wrote an op-ed criticizing the nation’s biased use of inclusivity. He accurately pointed out that it is selectively applied to only liberal causes. Groups that are ignored, and even persecuted, are the unborn, large families, conservative Christians, and more.
“It should be clear by now to everyone that Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity–DIE for short–only works one way,” says PRI President Steven Mosher. “Christians are expected to tolerate every perversion under the sun, while they themselves are subject to discriminatory laws and excluded from job opportunities. No thanks.”
Family Caucus Launches: Last week, the US Congress finally gained a group devoted to the welfare of the American family. Three representatives launched the Congressional Family Caucus. This is a step in the right direction, of protecting the American family from Big Government and Big Business.
Radical Plans in NM: New Mexico’s House and Senate are pursuing legislation that protects abortion and transgender surgeries. If their efforts are successful, it would become illegal to directly or indirectly interfere with an individual’s efforts to obtain “reproductive health care” or “gender-affirming care.”
Deadly Dallas Center Closes: After fifty years of killing the unborn, the largest abortion facility in Dallas, TX, permanently closed. This facility, Southwestern Women’s Center, had been operating since Roe v. Wade was upheld in 1973. Though this center will never reopen, its sister clinics still operate in New Mexico and Florida.
Good News
Record-Breaking Babies: A set of Canadian twins were awarded a Guinness World Record for being the most premature twins ever to survive. The twins, Keeley and Kambry Ewoldt, were born 125 days early at exactly 22 weeks. After six months in the NICU, the babies were able to come home with their parents.
Their father, Kevin, shared, “I think what we’re both happy about and passionate about is that this is going to help push the dialogue on viability. We do hope that this is a record that gets broken and signifies that progress is being made in terms of babies that can be resuscitated even at much earlier gestation and recognizing that life begins so much earlier than you might know at this point today.”
Quote of the Week
“[Catholics must] respond with love — radical, unconditional, self-emptying love. Love of neighbor, love of mothers, fathers, and their babies. Love of our enemies … locking arms to care for moms and babies and families, seeking to put women and children and families first as we rise to build a culture of life and civilization of love in a post-Roe world.”
~ Catholic Bioethicist Carter Snead, source
