In This Issue:
- PRI in the Media
- The Depopulation Bomb
- Politics Covers the Truth
- Deepening Depopulation
- Birth Rates Down in Big 6
- Christians Fight Depopulation
- A Low Fertility World
- Communist China
- Tiananmen’s Anniversary
- UN Misdeeds
- WHO Backs Radical Group
- Pro-Life Around the World
- A Progressive President
- Repeat Abortions Go Up
- Bishops vs. Boric
- Pro-life Moves in Canada
- Pro-Life on the Home Front
- The Schumer Doctrine
- The Contraceptives Bill
- Good News
- A Beautiful Ministry
PRI in the Media
The Depopulation Bomb: Last week, PRI President Steven Mosher appeared on the International Reporters Roundtable as part of a panel discussing population collapse. Mr. Mosher was joined by Stephen J. Shaw, producer of the documentary “Birthgap: Childless World,” and Steve Milloy, publisher of JunkScience.com. After decades of fear-mongering from elites regarding “overpopulation,” the world is now seeing the start of the “depopulation bomb.” Fertility rates everywhere, even those above replacement rate still, are falling. In the past few decades, complete childlessness has increased, as people choose not to have children. Mosher, Shaw, and Milloy break down how we got here, why this is happening, and what we can do in response.
Politics Covers the Truth: Four years later, The New York Times has finally allowed the compelling evidence that COVID leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology to be published. The paper allowed Alina Chan’s essay, which laid out the damning facts, to be printed, alongside her comment that, for years, “partisan politics have derailed the search for the truth about a catastrophe that has touched us all.” Of course, these “partisan politics” were not limited to The Times. News outlets, including CNN and MSNBC, called the lab leak a “debunked” conspiracy theory. NPR (falsely) asserted, “Scientists Debunk Lab Accident Theory of Pandemic Emergence.” Social media companies censored lab leak claims, such as when Facebook banned Mr. Mosher’s article, “Don’t buy China’s story: The coronavirus may have leaked from a lab,” in February 2020.
Deepening Depopulation
Birth Rates Down in Big 6: The top six most populated countries in the world are all seeing falling birth rates. This clear infographic shows the falling rates in China, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Indonesia, and the United States. China, which accelerated this issue with the one-child policy, had a birth rate of 41 annual births per 1,000 people in 1950. In 2021, the country registered a birth rate of 7.6. The United States, while not as severe, has seen its birth rate decrease by half between 1950 and 2021. In 1950, the U.S. had a birth rate of 22.8, but this had fallen to 11.1 in 2021. Even Nigeria, which still has a fertility rate over replacement, has a falling birth rate. In 1950, Nigeria’s birth rate was 45.6, but in 2021 this had fallen to 37.1. Though not as stark a difference as either China or the U.S., it is still a sign of a downward trend that is unlikely to be reversed without serious effort.
Christians Fight Depopulation: South Korea has the lowest fertility rate in the world. Even the province with the “highest” fertility rate is only at 0.97. Despite a strong Christian presence in the country, South Koreans are not having large families. Korean Christians mirror the low birth rates of their non-Christian counterparts. However, some Korean Christian leaders and Churches are creating their own incentives for couples to have more children. A Korean missionary, Lee Byeong-cheon, has started the 303 Project to encourage early marriage and at least three children per family. Similarly, Dangjin Dongil Church provides affordable childcare services, fostering a supportive community for families and contributing to a modest increase in the city’s fertility rate. While these efforts represent a mere fraction of the solution needed, they offer a glimmer of hope in reversing South Korea’s demographic decline.
A Low Fertility World: In March, The Lancet published its predictions for fertility rates around the world and how these will affect global population patterns. The journal’s predictions, which span from now until 2100, show the reality of the depopulation that the world is already starting to feel. By 2050, over three-quarters of countries will have fertility rates below replacement (2.1). By 2100, this will increase to 97% of countries. Fertility rates have rapidly changed in the last 70 years, with the global Total Fertility Rate falling from ~5 in 1950 to 2.2 in 2021. Now, the world is facing another 70 years of rapid change. 2100 may sound far away, but children born today will live to see a low-fertility world. A world that will have to deal with major social and economic change.
“What we at PRI have long warned about is now happening,” says Mr. Mosher. “Fertility rates in country after country are falling below replacement, but are not stopping there. Surprising many demographers, fertility rates have continued to fall so that in some countries women are averaging less than one child over their reproductive lifetime. This is not merely a recipe for population decline. This is a recipe for population suicide.”
Communist China
Tiananmen’s Anniversary: This year is the 35th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre. In 1989, the Chinese Communist Party murdered and injured thousands of peaceful pro-democracy protesters calling for political reform and an end to corruption. This tragedy showed the world the country’s desire for freedom and the lengths that the Chinese government was willing to go to maintain control. Today, the CCP continues its efforts to erase this event from collective memory. Educators are forbidden from teaching about it, references to it on the internet are censored, and even public memorials for the victims are strictly prohibited. However, China, and the world, cannot forget what happened on June 4th, 1989. Since then, the CCP has increased its surveillance and control of the Chinese people. Xi Jinping, and his communist government, need to be held accountable for the human rights abuses that have been occurring since the rise of Communism in the nation.
“The Tiananmen Square demonstrations for freedom and democracy in 1989 were the highwater mark of the pro-democracy movement in China,” says Mr. Mosher. “The Chinese Communist Party reacted to this threat to its one-party dictatorship by slaughtering tens of thousands of people. Since then, it has tolerated no organized dissent. We once thought that China was going to become more like us. Now we must defend against the possibility that we are becoming more like China.”
UN Misdeeds
WHO Backs Radical Group: The head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has once again clashed with representatives of traditional-minded countries. Tedros implored 34 countries in the Executive Board of the WHO to approve official status within the international health agency for the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR). The CRR is a lobby group with a radical abortion and sexual rights agenda. Tedros tried to use anecdotal evidence to support the claim that abortion is necessary to reduce maternal deaths, to which several countries expressed strong opposition. Egypt’s delegate specifically called out Tedros for his misleading intervention, highlighting concerns that CRR’s agenda extends beyond mainstream reproductive rights to include abortion-on-demand and transgender rights.
Pro-Life Around the World
A Progressive President: Mexico has elected its first female president, but she comes with a radical, progressive agenda. Claudia Sheinbaum, the candidate of the Let’s Keep Making History political alliance, was elected on June 2nd with between 58% and 60% of the votes. In line with her political party, the National Regeneration Movement (MORENA), Sheinbaum is “committed to a progressive agenda that promotes, among other things, abortion and gender ideology.” During her campaign, Sheinbaum announced 100 commitments that she would keep if elected president, including “access to health for women throughout their life cycle, especially with regards to sexual and reproductive health.” As we know, this language translates to access to contraception and abortion. In December 2023, she also publicly shared her desire “to strengthen the rights of sexually diverse people.”
Repeat Abortions Go Up: In 2022, there were 102,689 repeat abortions in England and Wales, which was an 11,376 increase compared to the previous year. Repeat abortions made up 40.85% of the total abortions committed in 2022 for residents of these countries. Sadly, these numbers may be even higher, as the data only recorded repeat abortions of residents, leaving out any non-residents who may have had abortions in England and Wales. Of the repeat abortions recorded, 20,947 women had two previous abortions and 5,214 had three. Notably, 109 women had undergone eight or more previous abortions. This increase in repeat abortions accompanied a 17.34% increase in the total number of abortions in 2022. The total number of abortions in England and Wales reached a record high of 252,122, marking the largest increase since 1972, coinciding with the second full year of at-home abortion services.
Bishops vs. Boric: Chilean President Gabriel Boric has announced that he will push for the legalization of abortion and euthanasia. In his June 1st address, Boric announced that he would introduce an abortion bill by the end of the year. This came as a surprise, as the government had previously said it would not move forward on this issue during 2024. Boric also announced that he intends to prioritize a bill on euthanasia and palliative care that is currently before the Senate. In turn, the Chilean Bishops’ Conference has issued a statement responding to President Boric’s announcements. The bishops pointed out that the defense of human rights proposed by Boric cannot be achieved “if we forget the rights of the most vulnerable and fragile.” The bishops ended on a strong, pro-life call to action: “Let us promote human rights, let us defend the life of those who are yet to be born!”
Pro-Life Moves in Canada: Quebec held its first-ever March for Life over the weekend. Approximately 1500 Canadians gathered in the province’s capital to advocate for the protection of the unborn. Organized by the Quebec Life Coalition, the march began at the National Assembly in Quebec City and proceeded through the streets. The participants were encouraged by the turnout of their fellow prolifers and remained excited, even when confronted with a large group of counter-protesters. Organized by various unions and Planned Parenthood Quebec, the presence of this pro-abortion group was unsurprising. According to Quebec Life Coalition president Georges Buscemi, “the abortion mentality is pretty strong in Quebec and pretty enshrined in the mentality of the people of Quebec,” but it’s clear that pro-abortion activists are “worried that there could be cultural shifts” towards the pro-life position.
Pro-Life on the Home Front
The Schumer Doctrine: Last week, Elon Musk retweeted a 2022 clip of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D, N.Y.) calling for an increase in immigration. In this clip, Schumer claims America needs an increase in immigrants to make up for the nation’s lack of workers and lack of children. Despite his alleged concern over this lack of people, Schumer is an adamant supporter of abortion. In 2022, Dr. Christopher Manion, Director of PRI’s Humanae Vitae Project, reacted to Schumer’s call for more immigration and pointed out the contradiction. How can one be concerned over a lack of reproduction and the ramifications for the nation’s future, while supporting the hundreds of thousands of abortions that occur in the U.S. annually?
“Chuck Schumer’s math doesn’t add up, but this perpetual paradox is nothing new for the population control movement,” Dr. Manion stated. “Whatever the current crisis, we can always find abortion at the core of the movement’s matrix. Ultimately, its goal for America is not a ‘great future,’ but an increasingly empty one.”
The Contraceptives Bill: This week the Senate GOP blocked a bill that would have created a federal right to contraception. The Republicans argued that the bill was unnecessary because access to birth control is already protected under Supreme Court precedent. The bill was also overly vague and would have allowed Democrats to mandate access to abortion pills along with birth control. The Democrats expected this vote to fail, but it still served a purpose. The failure of this legislation was designed to highlight the difference between the two political parties this election year. Since the Democratic party has few successes to run on, it will instead build its campaign on “reproductive access” (AKA contraception and abortion). The party will attempt to win votes by spreading the idea that Republicans in office are going to limit access to birth control.
“The Biden administration, having failed in almost every area, has seized upon reproductive rights as their ticket to reelection,” says Mr. Mosher. “This was nothing more than a scare tactic by the Democrats to galvanize their dispirited and demoralized base, and to distract from failures on trade, the economy, border, and everything else.”
Good News
A Beautiful Ministry: For over a decade, the organization Be Not Afraid has been walking alongside the parents of children who receive a life-limiting prenatal diagnosis. This beautiful ministry aims to “develop relationships of trust while providing for the emotional and tangible needs of parents at diagnosis, during pregnancy, at birth, and during the postpartum period for up to one year.” In 2022, the founders of Be Not Afraid created a training program to ensure a growing national pro-life response to prenatal diagnosis. Many places that offer perinatal hospice also offer abortion as an alternative, despite there being no research that supports the claim that termination is psychologically easier on the expectant mother. Actually, research shows that women who terminate their unborn babies after prenatal diagnosis are more likely to experience despair, avoidance, and depression. Another study showed that of 405 parents who carried to term, after prenatal diagnosis, 97.5% did not regret the decision.
Quote of the Week
“Who is not filled with the greatest admiration when he sees a mother risking her life with heroic fortitude, that she may preserve the life of the offspring which she has conceived?”
~Pope Pius XI, Casti Connubi
