In This Issue:
- PRI in the Media
- Pro-American Strategy
- A Commitment to Truth
- Setting the Record Straight
- Tragedy Repeats in Peru
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- Leftist Media Admits the Truth
- Greece Faces Disaster
- The Bold Truth
- Desire for Family Rises
- Communist China
- Chinese Bishops in Attendance
- The Sperm Competition
- UN Misdeeds
- WHO Backs Suicide
- Science Gone Mad
- Death Criteria Concerns
- Pro-Life Around the World
- Abortion and Trafficking Linked
- Doctored Data in Africa
- “Don’t Play With Life”
- Pro-Life on the Home Front
- A Sneaky Name Change
- Erasing Familial Terms
- Billboards Spout Evil
- Good News
- The Call for Solidarity
PRI in the Media
Pro-American Strategy: PRI President Steven Mosher joined Frank Gaffney, along with several other panelists, on a webinar sponsored by the Committee on Present Danger: China. The topic of interest: What do we do about the threat posed to us by the Chinese Communist Party? At this time, when the U.S. should prepare for a potentially violent conflict with China, the Biden administration instead continues to appease “history’s largest and most dangerous Transnational Criminal Organization.” These experts recommend a “pro-American” strategy, “one that will prevent Xi from pursuing external aggression by depriving him of the support of the vast majority of the Chinese people and advancing our mutual interest in taking down the CCP.”
A Commitment to Truth: In this piece, Life Site News reaffirmed its commitment to truthful reporting on issues ignored by the mainstream media. PRI President Steven Mosher is one of Life Site News’ blog writers, sharing realities that legacy media outlets would prefer to ignore. As Life Site News details, Mr. Mosher’s most recent article for the website regarding Donald Trump’s plan to expose pro-abortion extremists is a prime example of such news.
Setting the Record Straight: At the beginning of this month, Dr. Carlos Beltramo, Director of PRI Europe, and Mr. Carlos Polo, Director of PRI Iberoamerica, shared a weekly briefing correcting faulty reporting on abortion policy in Mexico. Since then, other news sources have helped spread the truth that major media outlets ignored. This week, Aleteia released a summary of their comprehensive work on the topic. Without these efforts from news sources such as Aleteia, one would assume that abortion-on-demand is legal and wanted across Mexico. But this is not the case. Thanks to Beltramo and Polo, the record is being set straight, one article at a time.
Tragedy Repeats in Peru: Another “therapeutic abortion” has been performed on a minor in Peru, and yet again, the abortion lobby is using this case to push its agenda. Similar to the case in August, the National Maternal Perinatal Institute of Lima (INMP) approved an abortion performed on an 11-year-old girl who was abused by her stepfather. “It is no coincidence that several cases with the same characteristics come up in a short period of time and they all end up in the same place [the INMP] and in the same way,” said Carlos Polo, Director of PRI’s Iberoamerican Office. “This leads us to think that these cases of ‘express abortion’ are not isolated events. They are the tactic of a plan to expand the ‘therapeutic’ abortion protocol to cases of rape, abortion for minors, congenital fetal deformities, and mental health.” The publicity of this tragedy is a tactic of the pro-abortion industry to push for the legal death of the unborn. The trauma these young girls experience is inconsequential to pro-aborts as long as they can further their agenda.
Deepening Depopulation
Leftist Media Admits Truth: It seems that the ever-declining birth rate and subsequent aging population issues have finally caught the attention of the leftist media. A recent New York Times op-ed finally conceded that the world’s population is on the verge of decline within a few decades. PRI has spent years warning the world of this looming crisis, but until now, leftist media had yet to make any kind of significant comments prior to this publication. Though the piece opened the conversation for leftist media, no call to action or inspiration of hope for the situation was included. While we here at PRI are focused on the policies and actions that could prevent this catastrophe, the writer, Dr. Dean Spears, instead focused on the inability of any country to regain an above-replacement fertility rate after falling below the replacement line.
“The New York Times has been a cheerleader for the population control movement for decades,” says Mr. Mosher. “For it to now announce that the population of the world will start declining within a few decades tells you how bad things really are demographically. Welcome to the wake, New York Times.”
Greece Faces Disaster: Of all the countries in Europe, Greece is facing one of the most severe demographic crises. Ten years ago, the Mediterranean country was managing slightly more births than deaths, but it has slipped since then. In 2020, there were only 84,717 births, compared to 131,084 deaths. At 1.3, Greece has one of the lowest fertility rates in the world. In an address to the Medical Association of Thessaloniki, Professor Nektarios Miltiadis discussed how the country should cope moving forward. He focused on mitigating economic damage, pushing the possibility of increased reproduction to remedy social issues aside. Professor Miltiadis suggested, “boosting the employment of working women, young individuals below the age of twenty-five, and even pensioners.” These plans would temporarily solve economic problems but at risk of dropping the fertility rate even further by forcing every generation to choose work over family.
“This is not the first time that Greece’s population has collapsed,” said Mr. Mosher. “As the Greek historian Polybius wrote over two thousand years ago: ‘One remarks nowadays all over Greece such a diminution in natality and … such depopulation that the towns are deserted and the fields lie fallow… by avarice or cowardice the people, if they marry, will not bring up the children they ought to have. At most, they bring up one or two…. The remedy is in ourselves; we have but to change our morals.’
“Unfortunately, the Greeks did not ‘change their morals,’ and Rome easily conquered the Greek city-states in 146 B.C.”
The Bold Truth: This week, Hungarian President Katalin Novak boldly told world leaders that the demographic crisis from low birth rates and aging is a bigger threat to humanity than climate. In her address opening the 78th UN General Assembly, President Novak stated, “A large part of the world is facing, in addition to war, a difficulty that is oppressing it from within. In Europe and in some of your countries, the demographic winter has turned into an ice age. If you do not address this issue, it will have an immeasurable impact on our economies, societies, and security in the near future.” This truth, which PRI has shared for years, is finally reaching the ears of influential leaders. President Novak went on to defend Hungary’s pro-family policies, which critics often claim will ruin the country’s economy. However, as President Novak knows, strong families make for a strong economy. Hopefully, other world leaders will follow Novak’s example in her handling of depopulation within Hungary’s borders.
“We at PRI are happy to have worked with President Novak to warn about the coming demographic ice age,” says Mr. Mosher. “And we agree with her that a minor change in the earth’s temperature over the next few centuries–which may or may not happen–is the least of our worries. In fact, we believe it is nothing more than a gigantic grift on the part of globalist elites who are stoking fear to seize power.”
Desire for Family Rises: Americans’ desire for big families is increasing, but the birth rate is not following suit. According to a Gallup poll released on Monday, the desire for large families, those with three or more children, is the highest it has been in fifty years. The President of the American Principles Project sees this as a positive sign. “Overall, this recent survey shows that Americans might finally be climbing out of the anti-family bomb shelter caused by the myths of the 1960s of a population explosion disaster,” said Terry Schilling. While this hopefully points to a future filled with families, the birth rate has yet to reverse the downward trend of the last decade.
“God’s instructions to our first parents, ‘Be fruitful and multiply,’ continues to resonate in the human heart,” says Mr. Mosher. “We have to make it possible for young couples to act on their desire to have children by sheltering them from all taxes.”
Communist China
Chinese Bishops in Attendance: The Vatican has announced that two bishops from mainland China will attend the Synod on Synodality. Bishop Joseph Yang Yongqiang of Zhoucun and Bishop Antonio Yao Shun of Jining will travel from China to Rome to participate from October 4th through the 28th. Bishop Yongqiang was ordained with Vatican approval in 2010, prior to the Sino-Vatican agreement. Bishop Antonio Yao Shun was the first bishop consecrated in China under the terms of the Sino-Vatican agreement.
“Both of these bishops belong to schismatic, CCP-run organizations in China,” says Mr. Mosher. “Are they at the synod merely to observe and report, or will they actively promote schismatic, even heretical views? It will be interesting to watch their behavior.”
The Sperm Competition: The Henan Human Sperm Bank is hosting a sperm quality competition, with awards for the college student boasting the highest sperm count and the most vigorous sperm. Students will be able to donate 50 times over 20 days, receiving 6,100 yuan ($1,150) each time they do. Those who reach the 20-donation mark will also receive a “bonus” of 2,100 yuan ($287). Staff at the facility told local media they want university students so they can get “high quality” sperm. This initiative was undertaken by 27 clinics across the nation to tackle infertility, as another way to attempt reversing the country’s low birth rate. The facility is painting anonymous sperm donation as a “humanitarian” activity, claiming that the winners will be “nameless heroes” throughout China.
UN Misdeeds
WHO Backs Suicide: The World Health Organization (WHO) recently released a policy brief calling for the decriminalization of suicide. Their justification for this measure is the claim that removing legal penalties for suicide attempts will reduce suicide rates due to decreased stigma. However, there is not sufficient evidence to support the claim that legal penalties deter individuals from seeking help. This idea of ending stigma by decriminalizing certain acts is the same argument other UN groups have made to justify allowing abortion, prostitution, homosexual acts, and the use of recreational drugs. Additionally concerning is the potential for this decriminalization to lead to the global normalization of assisted suicide or euthanasia, though neither was specifically brought up in this brief.
Science Gone Mad
Death Criteria Concerns: The President of the National Catholic Bioethics Center sent out a message addressing a concerning new medical technique for organ donation. The technique, called “Normothermic Regional Perfusion,” is already associated with major ethical violations. It involves clamping off the blood supply to an individual’s brain and arms after their heart has stopped beating and circulating oxygenated blood through the rest of the body to keep the organs fresh. Instead of waiting for natural brain death, medical practitioners are hastening the process. Developed in Spain, this practice is used in other parts of Europe, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Throughout the world, doctors are declaring individuals dead in order to harvest their organs, instead of supporting the individual who is in the process of dying.
Pro-Life Around the World
Abortion and Trafficking Linked: Premier Danielle Smith has announced a $4-million investment to tackle the scourge of human trafficking in Alberta. She and her government are committed to fighting sexual exploitation. However, one way that pimps wield power over women and girls is by forcing or coercing them to have abortions. If Premier Smith is serious about ending sexual exploitation, further regulating, and ultimately ending, abortion would cripple a major part of the trafficking industry. Three regulations that could save girls and women from further abuse, or trafficking altogether, include:
- Requiring parental consent for minors undergoing an abortion.
- Requiring abortion providers to screen and report on suspected cases of trafficking, exploitation, and coercion.
- Prohibiting abortion pills from being prescribed online or over the phone.
Doctored Data in Africa: Africans generally don’t approve of abortion, but that doesn’t stop Western progressives from pushing the practice on the continent anyway. One way organizations do this is by claiming there is an “unmet need for so-called safe abortion services.” Estimations of abortion rates in African countries are greatly exaggerated but promoted as scientific and reliable. The studies that come up with these figures are paid for by pro-abortion institutions, such as the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) and the Guttmacher Institute. The inflation of these rates is shockingly obvious, yet they lead to the funneling of funds to contraception and abortion providers, as well as increasing pressure on pro-life African governments.
“Don’t Play With Life”: In one of his signature plane press conferences, Pope Francis reaffirmed his condemnation of abortion and euthanasia. He stated to the journalists, “You don’t play with life, neither at the beginning nor at the end. It is not played with!” The Holy Father was returning from a trip to Marseilles, in southern France, where he met with France’s President Emmanuel Macron. At the time, President Macron was preparing for a vote held this week on a controversial bill that could legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia in the country. Francis said he did not address the topic of euthanasia with Macron at that meeting but that he had expressed himself “clearly” on the issue when the French president visited him at the Vatican last year.
Pro-Life on the Home Front
A Sneaky Name Change: This month, America’s “oldest membership-based abortion rights group,” is undergoing a rebrand to appeal to more of the public. NARAL Pro-Choice America is changing its name to “Reproductive Freedom for All.” Though the name is new, their mission—abortion on demand throughout all nine months and funded by the government—has not changed. The group was founded in 1969 as the National Association to Repeal Abortion Laws (NARAL). Since its founding, ex-members have exposed the deliberate lies spread by the organization, including the invention of fictitious back-alley abortion numbers and the fabrication of evidence to influence public opinion. Yet the organization continues to run and push its agenda on the American people.
Erasing Familial Terms: According to CatholicVote, the Biden administration has plans to further erase parenthood from legislation. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has filed an as-yet unpublished regulatory proposal that would eliminate the words “mother,” “father,” “paternity,” and “his” and “her” from childcare-related laws. Gender-neutral terms would replace these in relevant laws. “Parent” would replace “mother” and “father,” while “parentage” would replace “paternity,” to give a few examples. In response, CatholicVote Director of Government Affairs Tom McClusky called the Biden administration’s new proposal an “overhaul of the American family” and “a flashing red light” for Catholics who care about the future of their country.
Billboard Spout Evil: In this clip from Pints With Aquinas, Matt Frad decries a pro-abortion billboard campaign. Spanning across five pro-life states, Interstate 55 now sports several new billboards paid for by the leftist activist group, Shout Your Abortion. The boards spout phrases such as, “God’s plan includes abortion” and “Abortion is okay. You are loved.” While humans are loved by God, this does not negate the fact that abortion is a grave evil and God also loves the unborn. These signs are literally “calling for the death of the innocent,” but this has been normalized in modern society. In today’s world, consent is often viewed as the sole standard of morality, even including the murder of innocent, unborn babies whose parents consent to their death. But normalization does not erase the fact that abortion is evil.
Good News
The Call for Solidarity: This Sunday is the first of October and the beginning of Respect Life month. This year, Bishop Michael F. Burbidge is inviting Catholics into “radical solidarity” with pregnant women. This echoes Pope Saint John Paul II’s message in his book “Crossing the Threshold of Hope.” With this being the 50th anniversary of Respect Life Month, it is a milestone and an opportunity to further the cause of creating a culture of life. Efforts are necessary at every level of our dioceses, parishes, schools, and local communities. Everyone can do something to help mothers and babies in need. We at PRI will continue to combat the abortion lobby, which never ceases in its attempts to attack the unborn at all stages.
Quote of the Week
“While ending legalized abortion remains our preeminent priority, the most immediate way to save babies and mothers from abortion is to thoroughly surround mothers in need with lifegiving support and personal accompaniment. This is radical solidarity.”
~ Bishop Michael F. Burbidge, source
