Wishing You a Happy Memorial Day weekend!
In This Issue:
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- The Low Fertility Trap
- Changing the Narrative
- Milestones Out of Reach
- Communist China
- China’s Oldest Circle
- Uyghurs Still Fight
- A Dismal Future
- UN Misdeeds
- Pushing Homosexual Unions
- Science Gone Mad
- For the Mother’s Health
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- Paglia & Humanae Vitae
- Il Miracolo Della Vita
- Pro-Life on the Home Front
- Behind Parents’ Backs
- New Nebraska Law
- Michigan’s Abortion Bill
- Pro-Life Vote Overtakes Veto
- Layoffs at PP
- Good News
- Demonstrating for Life
Deepening Depopulation
The Low Fertility Trap: The demographic crisis in Italy shows no signs of abating. According to one couple, tax cuts and birth incentives aren’t enough to build families with more than one child. As one-child families become the norm, a “low fertility trap” is created. This in turn causes the population to spiral downwards, of which the economic effects will be felt as early as 2030.
“Both the Italian Prime Minister Meloni and Pope Francis are warning about the unsustainably low Italian birth rate,” says Mr. Mosher. “Unless something is done, the Italian population will be cut in half by the end of the century. Meloni should give Katalin Novak of Hungary a call. Hungary’s policies have already raised the birth rate by half a child on average, and the numbers are still rising.”
Changing the Narrative: Japan’s birth rate has been on the decline and an online Twitter survey tried to find out why. After tens of thousands of responses, one answer stood out ahead of the others: the negative portrayal of family life in Japanese society. What was assumed to be the media’s “harmless” portrayal of marriage and family in a negative light has shaped the lives of the youth in Japan.
Milestones Out of Reach: According to the Pew Research Center, young U.S. adults are reaching five key milestones later in life. These milestones include having a full-time job, being financially independent, living on their own, getting married, and having a child. Between 20 and 25, Americans today are less likely to have reached these accomplishments than individuals of the same age forty years prior.
“In my view, social media is a big part of the perpetual adolescence that many young Americans seemed trapped in,” says Mr. Mosher. “TikTok, especially, encourages self-destructive behaviors, but social media in general is a distraction from real life. Turn off your cell phones.”
Communist China
China’s Oldest Circle: In the late 1960s, Rudong County was so full of life that the CCP used it to test-run the one-child policy. Today, it is the oldest county in the country, with 39% of the population over 60. This figure is double the national average. Rudong County foreshadows what is coming for every county in China, as a result of brutal population control programs.
Uyghurs Still Fight: Uyghurs are turning to a small UN panel to find justice for their loved ones. The U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention investigates and confirms cases of Uyghurs who are unfairly detained in China. Though the panel’s confirmation of rights violations is not legally binding, their confirmation and documentation can be used by diplomats moving forward.
A Dismal Future: The youth in China face dismal job prospects, no matter their education level. Those that were allowed to attend university now struggle to find white-collar jobs. While those who were required to attend technical or vocational schools must work blue-collar jobs, with futures of hard labor and low wages stretching out before them.
UN Misdeeds
Pushing Homosexual Unions: The Biden administration is pressing countries to adopt homosexual “marriage” as a human right. This occurred during the latest cycles of the UN’s Universal Periodic Review, as part of a bigger plan to advance LGBT and transgender ideology in foreign policy. Serbia, Korea, and Japan were the most recent targets of this pressure.
Science Gone Mad
For the Mother’s Health: Pro-choice activists often cite risk to a mother’s health as a compelling reason for abortion. But has the therapeutic value of abortion ever been confirmed by rigorous scientific study? Researchers John F. Murphy and Kieran O’Driscoll answered this question with a resounding “no” by stating, “Even after decades of experience with abortion, not a single case-control study has been published showing that abortion has statistically significant benefits over childbirth. This is true for both the general population of healthy women and the population of unhealthy pregnant women.”
“We at PRI have been pointing out for years that pregnancy is not a disease, and that childbirth is safer than abortion,” says Mr. Mosher. “The population control movement wants to reduce maternal mortality by reducing the number of babies conceived and born. This is like trying to reduce the number of traffic fatalities by preventing people from driving cars. The cure is worse than the problem.”
Pro-Life Around the World
Paglia & Humanae Vitae: Last week, a two-day Congress in Rome was opened with the subject of “Humanae Vitae, the audacity of an Encyclical on Sexuality and Procreation.” Archbishop Paglia spoke, reaffirming his complete support of Pope Paul VI’s encyclical. This direct message from Paglia seemed to be an attempt to remedy the confusion caused by the archbishop’s prior statements regarding Humanae Vitae.
Il Miracolo Della Vita: Pope Francis wrote the preface for a new pro-life book titled, “The Miracle of Life.” The book, as well as his preface, calls the reader to marvel at the “wonder of being born.” Both the author and the Holy Father ask the reader to reflect on the tragic reality of abortion, not only from a faith point-of-view but a scientific perspective also.
“More of this, please, Pope Francis,” says Mr. Mosher. “This is what the dying world needs to hear.”
Pro-Life on the Home Front
Behind Parents’ Backs: The Biden administration promoted a document on how to teach minors about sex and contraception behind their parents’ backs. These federally-funded guidelines were designed for workers at Planned Parenthood and other family planning offices. The guidelines go so far as to encourage family planning offices to start programs that deliver birth control to minors without parental knowledge or consent.
New Nebraska Law: On May 22nd, Nebraska Gov. Jim Pullen signed a new pro-life measure into law. The lifesaving law will protect babies after 12 weeks gestation, which is a major improvement from the previous standard of 22 weeks. As the organization SBA Pro-Life America points out, the new law “saves babies at the point when their hearts have beat over 10 million times.”
Michigan’s Abortion Bill: Last week, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed Senate Bill 147 into law. The new law makes abortion “equal” to childbirth when it comes to employer benefits. It also prohibits discrimination against individuals who have “exercised their constitutional rights, including their right to reproductive freedom by having an abortion.”
Pro-Life Vote Overtakes Veto: North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper attempted to block abortion limits by exercising his ability to veto. But he was overruled. The state now has a ban on abortion after 12 weeks gestation, an improvement from the previous ban after 20 weeks. The state’s bishops responded positively to the bill stating that, while not perfect, “We welcome the increased protections for unborn human lives offered by the ‘Care For Women, Children, and Families Act’ (SB 20) recently passed by the N.C. General Assembly. We also welcome the millions of dollars of funding to support mothers and families included in this bill.”
Layoffs at PP: Planned Parenthood is laying off up to 15% of its national staff this summer. According to president and CEO Alexis McGill Johnson, these cuts are due to the shifting of funds from the national level to regional affiliate funds. She was quick to clarify that this move is not due to financial struggle, but simply a change in priorities.
“This is the clearest sign yet that abortions are down nationwide,” says Mr. Mosher. “Planned Parenthood is laying off a sizable number of its headquarters staff. Despite being a ‘nonprofit,’ PP is run as a business, and business is down in many, many states after the end of Roe v. Wade, which in turn is thanks to President Trump’s great Supreme Court picks.”
Good News
Demonstrating for Life: Thousands of people came out to represent the pro-life movement in Italy this past weekend. Held in Rome, the “Demonstration for Life” began at the Piazza della Repubblica and ended 1.2 miles later at the Basilica of St. John Lateran. During the march and concluding rally, participants waved flags and held up banners proudly printed with the event’s motto: “We choose life.”
Quote of the Week
“The family is the main antidote to material and spiritual poverty, and to the problem of the demographic winter. Family-friendly social, economic and cultural policies need to be promoted in every country, as well as policies that welcome life.”
~ Pope Francis, source
