In This Issue:
- PRI in the Media
- Walz’s Ties to China
- Specter Haunting America
- Deepening Depopulation
- Media Finally Pays Attention
- Age of Depopulation
- Blast from the Past
- Communist China
- Elderly Population Booms
- UN Misdeeds
- A New Label
- Science Gone Mad
- Abortion Harms Women
- Pro-Life Around the World
- Abortion in Latin America
- Pro-Life on the Home Front
- Porn Watchers for Harris
- Vote No on Amendment 3
- Democrats Sidestep
- Good News
- Padre Pio’s Vision
Vote as if Life depends on it- because it does!
PRI in the Media
Walz’s Ties to China: The Department of Homeland Security has some serious concerns about Tim Walz’s connections to the Chinese Communist Party. In this article for the New York Post, PRI President Steven Mosher validates these concerns. “It’s all there in his record,” says Mr. Mosher. “The initial approach, the flattery, the joint venture, the academic appointment, the paid trips and lectures. The whole process is called ‘elite capture.’” Walz became so “well-groomed” by the CCP that he defended the Communist system and even tried to justify the one-child policy on the grounds that “the Chinese population was so large,” falsely claiming that the only penalty for having a second child was that “the family pays a tax.” Today, we simply don’t know what sort of dealings Walz had (or still has) with China. But we do know that, despite the fact that China regards the US as its “main enemy,” Walz continues to argue that China is not our “adversary.”
Specter Haunting America: In this piece for Chronicles Magazine, Mr. Mosher pointed out the left-wing media’s glorification of Communists and vilification of those who fight Communism. The left-wing media’s bias has led to self-censorship among Americans when discussing leftist ideologies, which have become increasingly radical and Marxist, as exemplified by Democratic leaders and their policies. The Democratic Party adopted a platform including elements like open borders, government control over healthcare, and radical climate measures, while employing fear tactics similar to those seen in authoritarian regimes to suppress dissent. Mr. Mosher concluded by emphasizing the importance of heeding these warnings about the threat of Communism.
Deepening Depopulation
Media Finally Pays Attention: This summer, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released its Society at a Glance report. Its findings on fertility were dire. Birth rates in developed countries have halved since 1960, falling to 1.5 children per woman on average. This is significantly below the replacement rate of 2.1, leading to a rare situation where deaths will soon exceed births. PRI has been warning about this coming depopulation for decades, but now it’s here and even the left-wing media is finally paying attention. But why is the legacy press paying attention after years of selective hearing?
Age of Depopulation: Humans are entering a new era: The age of depopulation. For the first time since the Black Death in the 1300s, the world’s population is set to decline. Unlike past depopulations caused by disease, this upcoming decline results from widespread societal and economic factors that discourage family formation, leading to aging societies and net mortality where deaths outnumber births. Government efforts to reverse this trend have so far failed. Many countries are already struggling with challenges such as a shrinking workforce and lack of sufficient elderly care.
Blast from the Past: PRI has been fighting Malthusians for years, and we aren’t alone in this battle. Even in 1961, Pope John XXIII was rebuking the Malthusians who were calling for population control lest people starve. In his encyclical, Mater et Magista, he wrote:
- Truth to tell, we do not seem to be faced with any immediate or imminent world problem arising from the disproportion between the increase of population and the supply of food. Arguments to this effect are based on such unreliable and controversial data that they can only be of very uncertain validity.
- Besides, the resources which God in His goodness and wisdom has implanted in Nature are well-nigh inexhaustible, and He has at the same time given man the intelligence to discover ways and means of exploiting these resources for his own advantage and his own livelihood. Hence, the real solution of the problem is not to be found in expedients which offend against the divinely established moral order and which attack human life at its very source, but in a renewed scientific and technical effort on man’s part to deepen and extend his dominion over Nature.
“Those who today would sacralize Nature, and make cutting down a tree a sin, will take exception to Pope John XXIII’s sensible views,” says Mr. Mosher. “But in a world of falling birth rates, where the population of the world will relatively soon be shrinking, it is even more important to oppose abortion, sterilization, and contraception, which ‘attack life at its very source.’”
Communist China
Elderly Population Booms: Chinese Dictator Xi Jinping has emphasized the need to address the rapidly growing elderly population, which reached 300 million at the end of 2023. Projections indicate it could surpass 400 million by 2035 and 500 million by 2050. This demographic shift, exacerbated by falling marriage and birth rates, places significant pressure on state finances as many elderly rely on social security. The legacy of the brutal one-child policy, which ended in 2016, continues to affect the population structure. Recent policy changes allowing three children have not alleviated the reluctance of couples to have more kids. In response to the aging population, the retirement age is set to increase, a move that has sparked public discontent. Experts warn that the pension system may become unsustainable by 2035, raising concerns about the impact on employment and family planning for younger generations.
“In another sign that China’s population is aging, with fewer and fewer young people, China is now calling up its reserves to bolster the ranks of the People’s Liberation Army,” says Mr. Mosher. “The question is, is this being done to offset the sharp decline in military-aged men, or in preparation for war?”
Intrusive Fertility Campaign: The CCP’s push for more children is getting invasive. After decades of coercive fertility reduction, officials are now pushing for “fertility culture.” One Chinese planning association stated: “Some people believe that marriage and childbirth are only private matters, and up to each individual. This view is wrong and one-sided.” Chinese women have shared that officials are going door-to-door to ask about their childbearing intentions and calling them to ask about their menstrual cycles. While some women appreciated certain aspects of this fertility campaign, such as improved childcare resources, many feel the scrutiny is intrusive and outdated. “We’re not like those born in the 1970s or ’80s. It’s well-known that people born after the ’90s generally don’t want kids,” remarked one woman in northeast China. “Deciding whether to have children is a very private matter.”
“I have long said that CCP leaders regard the Chinese people as a kind of renewable resource that they are free to use and abuse at their pleasure,” says Mr. Mosher. “Moreover, the same Party officials who forced women to undergo late-term abortions will have no problem forcing women to be impregnated against their will.”
UN Misdeeds
A New Label: A new analysis from the Center for Family and Human Rights details how pro-life and pro-family advocates have been targeted and labeled as “anti-rights.” This term was first used by feminists and LGBTQ+ groups at the UN but has since been taken up by UN officials and the Biden administration. The “anti-rights” label is primarily directed at mainstream conservative voices that advocate for sovereignty, the protection of human life at all stages, and the traditional family. This labeling is a way of sidelining—-or silencing—- arguments that go against the progressive agenda.
Science Gone Mad
Abortion Harms Women: A new Danish study has found that having an abortion is linked to negative mental health outcomes, challenging a previous study that claimed no increased risk of mental disorders occur after a first-trimester abortion. This research, led by David Reardon from the Elliot Institute, reanalyzed data from a 2011 study over a longer timeframe and revealed that women were 50 percent more likely to seek psychiatric treatment and 87 percent more likely to experience personality and behavioral disorders one year post-abortion. The authors argue that longer observation periods are necessary to fully capture the mental health impacts, as coping mechanisms may delay the onset of negative effects, often coinciding with significant dates like the anniversary of the abortion. Reardon notes that when mental health issues do arise, they can manifest as grief, guilt, substance abuse, or worsen existing mental health problems. The study underscores the fact that abortion not only kills an innocent unborn child but also harms the mother.
Pro-Life Around the World
Abortion in Latin America: In this article, Maria José Corzo, member of PRI’s Latin American office, delves into an upcoming case at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. The court’s decision has the potential to legalize abortion across Latin America, despite being based on a bogus case. The case centers on Beatriz, a young Salvadoran woman with lupus who, during her second pregnancy in 2013, was told her fetus had anencephaly, a fatal condition. Despite her medical team concluding that her life was not at risk, pro-abortion groups like CEJIL and the Colectiva Feminista para el Desarrollo Local politicized her situation, claiming the pregnancy posed a danger to her life and taking the case to the Salvadoran Supreme Court, which ruled against her. Beatriz’s daughter, Leylani, was born alive but died shortly after due to anencephaly, and the feminist organizations that had supported Beatriz did not assist her during her grieving process. Four years later, Beatriz died in a motorcycle accident, which pro-abortion advocates inaccurately linked to her pregnancy, reopening her case before the Inter-American Court. We hope that the court will see the truth and uphold protections for human life.
Pro-Life on the Home Front
Porn Watchers for Harris: The Democratic Party’s alliance with the pornography industry has become more explicit, highlighted by a $100,000 ad campaign urging porn watchers to vote for Kamala Harris in the upcoming election. This campaign stems from concerns that a return of Donald Trump to office might lead to a ban on pornography. The Democratic Party has shifted its focus over the years, increasingly centering its platform around abortion rights, particularly after the reversal of Roe v. Wade, while largely neglecting other critical issues. The intertwining of pornography and abortion reflects a broader selfish view of sex, reducing it to mere consumption and detachment from its natural results, such as childbearing. Both industries reject God’s design for sexuality, prioritizing personal gratification over the potential for new life. The alignment of advocates for porn and abortion in support of Harris reveals how deeply entrenched these issues have become in politics and the Democratic Party particularly.
“If Kamala wants the porn vote, I say let her have it,” says Mr. Mosher. “Of course, she should disavow their support, but I am sure that not a single reporter will ask her if she should do so.”
Vote No on Amendment 3: Family Research Council President Tony Perkins emphasized the critical nature of the upcoming presidential election, particularly regarding pro-life initiatives in ten states, including Missouri’s Amendment 3. He warned that if passed, this amendment would allow a “deregulated industry of abortion and gender transition into Missouri’s state constitution.” Pastor Chris Williams of Kansas City’s Abundant Life Church highlighted the importance of mobilizing community support to defeat this initiative, noting a recent decline in support for the amendment from 58% to 53%. With just three weeks until the election, both Perkins and Williams urged continued efforts against the amendment, which threatens parental rights and would cause harm to women and children across the state.
Democrats Sidestep: The Atlantic recently published an article by Emma Camp criticizing the Democratic Party for avoiding discussions about restrictions on late-term abortions. Democrats actively promote loosening restrictions on abortion, which would allow late-term abortion, while refusing to actually address the practice of late-term abortion. Instead, these politicians sidestep the issue by claiming such cases are rare or denying their policies would permit them. In recent debates, Tim Walz avoided answering questions about Minnesota’s pro-abortion PRO Act, which he signed in 2023. In another instance, Kamala Harris denied Donald Trump’s statement that Roe v. Wade allowed for abortion throughout pregnancy, despite the fact that it did as a result of a loophole in its partner decision, Doe v. Bolton. Late-term abortions do occur and are legal in nine states including Washington D.C. The Democratic Party needs to confront this truth, instead of continuing to ignore what they support.
Good News
Padre Pio’s Vision: At an event honoring Saints Padre Pio and Francis of Assisi, Catholic Healthcare International (CHI) announced plans to establish a replica of Padre Pio’s Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza hospital and create a pro-life and pro-family medical school in Howell, Michigan. Inspired by Padre Pio’s vision in 1956 to provide care for the sick, CHI aims to replicate the original facility in Italy, which has become a significant research center under Vatican administration. With the support of Bishop Earl Boyea and Cardinal Raymond Burke, CHI is acquiring a 140,000-square-foot hospital and seeking accreditation for the proposed Saint Padre Pio Institute for the Relief of Suffering, School of Osteopathic Medicine.
Quote of the Week
“In a world of falling birth rates, where the population of the world will relatively soon be shrinking, it is even more important to oppose abortion, sterilization, and contraception, which ‘attack life at its very source.’”
~ PRI President Steven Mosher
