Happy Independence Day!
In This Issue:
- PRI in the Media
- Cozying up to China
- Most Liveable Cities
- Pandemic Professor
- COVID Controversy
- Poor COVID Track Record
-
- Third Child Teaching Tragedy
- Crazy Comment
- Climate Over Kids
- Communist China
- COVID Cover-up
- Spies in Switzerland
- UN Misdeeds
- Censorship and Control
- Abortion for the Disabled
- Science Gone Mad
- Fetus Means Unborn Child
- Irreversible Infertility
-
- Ireland Abortions Increase
- Silence in Africa
- Pro-Life on the Home Front
- Disappointment on Dobbs Anniversary
- Americans Want Limits
- Pill Ban Blocked
- Good News
- One Pound Miracle
PRI in the Media
Cozying up to China: Western billionaires are entering China even as the country’s own wealthy individuals are leaving. PRI President Steven Mosher notes this strange trend in a recent op-ed for the New York Post and explains the reasoning behind it.
Most Liveable Cities: The new 2023 EIU Global Liveability Index indicates a boost in overall global liveability following an end to almost three years of government-imposed COVID restrictions. Among these restrictions, lockdowns had a particularly negative impact on city populations. Mr. Mosher previously talked to the Epoch Times about the role of the Chinese Communist Party’s influence on the global acceptance of lockdowns as “the magic key to stopping the spread of COVID.”
“I think [the CCP] had an interest in convincing the world that it was dangerous because they were going to suffer an economic slowdown from the Coronavirus,” Mosher said. “Communist Party leaders do not like to admit they made a mistake, [Chinese leader Xi Jinping] finally did a few months ago, ending the lockdowns… but it took almost three years.”
This year’s rankings indicate cities are moving on from the COVID restrictions. Vienna captured the number one spot for global liveability worldwide, followed by Copenhagen and Melbourne in second and third place respectively.
Pandemic Professor: Georgetown University hired Anthony Fauci as a distinguished professor at the School of Medicine’s Department of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases. This is a controversial decision, given Fauci’s reputation. Among his failures are the detrimental policies he pushed during the COVID pandemic, as shared by Mr. Mosher and referenced in this article.
COVID Controversy
Poor COVID Track Record: President Biden’s pick for the new CDC director, Dr. Mandy Cohen, was a vocal supporter of lockdowns and mask mandates during the pandemic. The White House praised Cohen’s “proven track record protecting Americans’ health and safety.” But some critics are highlighting her concerning actions as a leader of North Carolina’s response to COVID. According to the New York Post, Cohen “pushed aggressive COVID restrictions,” while inconsistently following her own guidelines.
“Mandy Cohen committed every epidemiological sin in the book during the Covid episode,” says Mr. Mosher. “From lockdowns to school closures, from mask wearing to social distancing, she was out hectoring and haranguing us on every front.”
Deepening Depopulation
Third Child Teaching Tragedy: A public school teacher in India lost her job for having a third child, as a result of a law passed in 2001. Rehmat Bano Mansuri was dismissed from teaching 14 years after having her third child in violation of this law after a complaint was made in 2020. The education department officials in her state also issued notices to about 1,000 department employees for violating the law, leaving questions about whether the warnings will be enforced.
Crazy Comment: In an interview last month, Paul Ehrlich, the author of The Population Bomb, stated, “If you have 10 children, you’re an evil person trying to basically destroy the world.” With this statement, Ehrlich, known for inaccurately predicting the devastating outcomes of overpopulation, fired at big families in what could be considered his craziest comment yet.
“More evil has been committed in the name of population control than from any other ideology except communism,” says Mr. Mosher. “My wife and I never made it to 10 children—nine is as far as we got—but Ehrlich’s condemnation of large families doesn’t surprise me. He has always despised humanity in its numbers.”
Climate Over Kids: In a survey of parents from five different countries, 53% of respondents agreed that “concern for climate change has impacted [their] perspective on having more children.” The survey asked 5,000 parents from Mexico, India, Singapore, the UK, and the US about how “climate anxiety” shaped their life and career decisions. The results reflect a cultural trend to encourage parents to prioritize climate change over having kids and even rewarding them for doing so.
Communist China
COVID cover-up: Beijing is trying to influence the way people remember the pandemic by withholding data and censoring opposition. One way Chinese authorities are trying to control the narrative is by censoring criticism of the government on social media. The CCP is also covering up the number of deaths from COVID in the country.
Spies in Switzerland: A Swiss intelligence service stated that China has sent dozens of spies into Switzerland since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. Multiple international organizations have their headquarters in Switzerland, making it a hotspot for espionage. Unlike the Russian spies who have also reportedly infiltrated the country, Chinese agents opt for non-diplomatic roles for cover such as scientists, journalists, or business executives.
UN Misdeeds
Censorship and Control: A new UN report titled “A Global Digital Compact” promotes international legislation that would exert control over digital technology through censorship and digital IDs. The report calls for strengthening accountability for “harmful and malicious acts online” such as “disinformation” and “hate speech.” These vague terms leave the door open for leaders to condemn anything they claim falls into these categories. Other aspects of the report mention digital IDs linked to online bank accounts, along with other mechanisms to track or control the way people engage with the internet.
Abortion for the Disabled: The first item discussed at the recent conference on the UN treaty on disabilities was the provision of “sexual and reproductive health services.” The phrase is an attempt by progressive governments to force a right to abortion on people with disabilities, in every country that has ratified the convention.
Science Gone Mad
Fetus Means Unborn Child: For many years, pro-abortion individuals have appropriated the scientific term “fetus” to deny the reality that abortion brutally kills an unborn human being. An article written in 1980 pointed out the obvious, that “fetus” is simply the Latin term for “unborn child.” The author shows how supporters of abortion manipulate language to make abortion more palatable, by dehumanizing the babies who are its victims. Nearly forty-four years after the publication of this article, abortion activists still use the term “fetus” in an attempt to avoid naming abortion for what it is. However, these attempts fall flat as soon as one learns that “fetus” simply means “unborn child.”
Mr. Mosher says, “Those whom the Left would kill, they first dehumanize linguistically.”
Irreversible Infertility: A consent form from a Virginia gender transition clinic for children ages 11 to adults age 25 listed “irreversible infertility” as a possible side effect for females taking puberty blockers or undergoing “testosterone treatment.” The form, from The University of Virginia Children’s Hospital “Transgender Youth Health” Center, admits that testosterone causes ovarian tissue damage, which can lead to permanent infertility. The form further advises women to freeze eggs “for preserving reproductive options,” a practice prohibited by the Catholic Church.
Pro-Life Around the World
Ireland Abortions Increase: The Department of Health in Ireland reported the highest number of abortions on record for the country in 2022. The statistics show that 8,156 abortions occurred in 2022, marking a 22% increase from an estimated 6,700 abortions in 2021. Overall, there was one abortion for every seven live births in Ireland last year. The increase in abortions correlates with similar trends in the neighboring countries of England and Wales.
Silence in Africa: A Catholic priest in the Democratic Republic of Congo called the silence over abortions in Africa “terrifying.” Father Apollinaire Cibaka Cikongo spoke with EWTN Vaticano about the need to promote a culture of life in Africa, where the prevalence of abortion and contraception is not being discussed enough. Father Apollinaire suggested translating the encyclical Humanae Vitae into local languages for distribution to teach the population about the dignity of human life.
“We work closely with the Catholic Church in Africa to stop coercive population control programs,” says Mr. Mosher. “We have made some progress over the years. Yet, under the Biden administration, we have seen a return to the radical promotion of abortion, sterilization and contraception to the neglect of primary health care. Even PEPFAR, a program that was set up to combat AIDS, has been deliberately distorted into an abortion promotion and delivery vehicle. The hatred of these people for African humanity knows no bounds.”
Pro-Life on the Home Front
Disappointment on Dobbs Anniversary: President Biden signed an executive order to increase access to contraceptives one day before the anniversary of the Dobbs decision. The executive order directs various agencies to investigate ways to reduce the cost of contraceptives and expand access to over-the-counter contraceptives, including abortifacients. This is not the first time Biden, a so-called Catholic, has signed an executive order geared toward promoting contraception and abortion, despite the Catholic Church stating in the Catechism that abortion is a “moral evil” and contraceptives are “intrinsically evil.”
Americans Want Limits: A new survey conducted by the nonprofit Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America shows that 77% of voters agree there should be some limits on abortion by 15 weeks of pregnancy. A slightly lower figure percentage, about six out of ten voters, would support Congress passing legislation to protect babies after 15 weeks. The survey also showed widespread support for pregnancy centers that do not perform abortions, with 76% of respondents voicing approval.
Pill Ban Blocked: A judge in Wyoming temporarily blocked the nation’s first and only state bill banning the use of abortion pills. The ban was set to take effect on the 1st of July. Judge Melissa Owens, who is responsible for blocking the legislation, has now blocked three pro-life bills signed by Governor Mark Gordon.
Good News
One Pound Miracle: Five months ago, a baby boy, Alanie, was born weighing only one pound and one ounce. Alanie was delivered at 23 weeks, and his doctor estimated he had only a 30% chance of surviving. But today, he is healthy, happy, and home from the hospital. Alanie’s miraculous story challenges states and hospitals that still consider babies at 23 weeks to be non-viable.
Quote of the Week
“The preborn child has inherent dignity and inherent value. That value does not change when that child is born or when that child dies. They’re valuable because God created them that way. And that doesn’t change. So, to snuff out or to terminate that life is something that we shouldn’t stand for and we shouldn’t ever say it is OK.”
~Benjamin Watson, former NFL tight end, source
