In This Issue:
- Breaking News
- PRI Joins the Call
- PRI in the Media
- Trump Wins First Round
- Deepening Depopulation
- Dependency on the Rise
- The Marriage Penalties
- Communist China
- China to End Religious Freedom
- UN Misdeeds
- AI Abortion Promotion
- Science Gone Mad
- $45K for a Baby Girl
- Pro-Life Around the World
- Iberians Respected the Unborn
- U.K. Backs Down on Surrogacy
- Parental Rights in Africa
- The Pope Removes Paglia
- Pro-Life on the Home Front
- The Anti-Human Bomber
- Abortion Pill Under Review
- Surgeon General Exposes Birth Control
- Forced to Assist with Abortion
- Women Forced Into Abortions
- Good News
- Pregnant Mom Beats Cancer
Breaking News
PRI Joins the Call: Population Research Institute has joined national pro-life leaders in a call for Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and FDA Commissioner Martin A. Makary to revoke approval of the abortion pill. PRI supports the newly issued letter from these pro-life leaders, which exposes the dangers of the abortion pill. This letter details the new commercial insurance data showing over 94,000 serious complications—such as hemorrhaging, sepsis, and infection—among more than 865,000 women within 45 days of use, indicating the drug is over 20 times riskier than previously reported by the FDA.
“We in the pro-life movement have known for years that the abortion pill kills young moms as well as unborn babies,” said Steven Mosher, President of Population Research Institute. “Anecdotal reports of serious hemorrhaging and infections, as well as deaths, abound.”
“The FDA was reckless in originally approving this toxic drug,” Mosher continued, “and the Biden administration was even more so when it made it widely available almost without restrictions. It’s past time for HHS and the FDA to withdraw their approval of this dangerous drug.”
PRI in the Media
Trump Wins First Round: In his latest for the New York Post, PRI President Steven Mosher shares that President Donald Trump has secured a significant victory in the tariff war with China. Mr. Mosher highlights that Trump’s imposition of a 145% tariff on Chinese imports led to considerable economic strain in China, including rising unemployment, business closures, and declining consumption. These pressures compelled Chinese President Xi Jinping to seek negotiations. Consequently, China agreed to major concessions, such as reducing tariffs on U.S. goods to 10% and curbing fentanyl exports. In response, the U.S. reduced its tariffs to 30%, maintaining economic pressure while offering China some relief.
Deepening Depopulation
Dependency on the Rise: Birth rates around the world have rapidly declined in the last century, causing the global economy to face a difficult challenge. As a country’s population ages, the number of retirees increases. This leads to a higher “dependency rate,” meaning fewer workers support more retirees, which strains public finances and potentially slows economic growth. With the U.S. population growing at its slowest rate in over a century, primarily due to lower birth rates and reduced immigration, our nation faces these challenges. Bill Conerly, Senior Contributor at Forbes Magazine, suggests a solution to this looming issue: Encourage higher birth rates by implementing policies that support families. Without such measures, the U.S. may face significant economic difficulties in the coming decades.
The Marriage Penalties: The current U.S. tax code and safety-net programs currently impose financial penalties on married couples, particularly those with children. These so-called “marriage penalties” discourage marriage and can lead to financial hardship for low-income families. For instance, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), a major anti-poverty program, reduces benefits for married couples more quickly than for single individuals, effectively penalizing marriage. The IRS administers over 80 federal programs intended to assist low-income individuals and families; however, the organization has been criticized for its poor performance in managing these programs. “Marriage penalties” in the tax code serve as disincentives to marriage, which negatively affects family growth and fertility in the U.S.
Communist China
China to End Religious Freedom: On May 12th, the Chinese Communist government released the white paper, “China’s National Security in the New Era.” The paper claims to address national security concerns by targeting what it labels as “religious extremism,” but in reality, it serves as propaganda to justify the suppression of religious freedom. The white paper is seen by many as an instrument to portray the Chinese Communist Party as a defender of national security while suppressing religious groups. Human rights organizations and religious groups have criticized the white paper for legitimizing actions that violate religious freedom and human rights. The paper outlines the government’s commitment to cracking down on what it deems “extremist” religious behavior, but this broad definition enables the suppression of peaceful religious groups such as Christians.
UN Misdeeds
AI Abortion Promotion: The UN and its agencies, such as the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), are pushing to use artificial intelligence for the promotion of abortion and gender ideology. These agencies are developing AI-driven tools to spread information on these subjects to adolescents, often bypassing parental involvement. This infringes upon parental rights and exposes children to inappropriate and inaccurate content. However, the UNFPA has labeled any opposition to these efforts as “misinformation” and “backsliding on human rights.”
Science Gone Mad
$45K for a Baby Girl: Caitlin Bailey, an influencer from Australia, sparked widespread controversy after spending $45,000 to undergo IVF and gender selection in the United States. Gender selection of embryos is illegal in Australia, but that did not deter the single mother. Driven by a personal desire to have an equal number of female and male children, Bailey was willing to travel thousands of miles and spend tens of thousands to ensure she conceived a baby girl. She defended her actions by claiming “my body, my family,” and even proclaimed her actions as financially prudent. However, the use of IVF and gender selection commodifies human life, undermines the natural integrity of parenthood, and raises troubling ethical implications about valuing children based on their gender. Perhaps most notably, during the IVF process, many human embryos are frozen, experimented on, or destroyed.
Read our fact sheet on IVF here.
Pro-Life Around the World
Iberians Respected the Unborn: A recent multidisciplinary study conducted by researchers from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) and the Catalan Archaeological Museum (MAC) has provided new insights into the funerary practices of the ancient Iberian community at the Ullastret site in Catalonia. The study analyzed the remains of 15 children from the Iron Age settlement. Contrary to previous theories suggesting infanticide or sacrificial practices, the findings indicate that infants, including unborn fetuses and young babies, died from natural causes and were buried with care. Most of the babies buried had died about a month after birth but some were miscarried. The Iberians treated unborn fetuses with the same care as they did with those babies who had been born—highlighting their knowledge and respect for life at all stages. The pattern of deaths by age and sex resembles natural infant mortality rates in developing populations, leading researchers to rule out any gender selection or sacrificial practices. This research offers a more compassionate understanding of ancient Iberian funerary customs.
“The Iron Age residents of ancient Spain seem to have been more civilized than modern-day America when it comes to treating the unborn with respect,” says Mr. Mosher.
U.K. Backs Down on Surrogacy: The leader of StopSurrogacyNowUK, Lexi Ellingsworth, was recently interviewed by LifeSiteNews to discuss her organization’s efforts to halt the expansion of surrogacy in the UK and worldwide. The surrogacy industry, described by Ellingsworth as a multi-billion-dollar “baby trade,” has seen rapid growth and is predicted to reach $194 billion by 2034. Ellingsworth expressed concern over the ethical implications of surrogacy, highlighting that it reduces the value of human life to a transactional commodity. She criticized the terminology used in the industry, where women who carry babies for others are referred to as “surrogates” rather than mothers, and described them as “wombs for rent.” Surrogacy erases the role of mothers and treats children as products to be bought and sold, therefore violating the dignity of human life. Ellingsworth advocates for a worldwide ban on surrogacy to prevent the further commodification of human reproduction.
Parental Rights in Africa: Africa has been fighting a cultural and ideological war against international organizations and donor nations for decades. These external entities promote policies that clearly undermine African values, parental authority, and traditional societal structures. The role of parents and the community regarding child-rearing is sacred within African societies. Yet, international interventions attempt to destroy this traditional framework. Africa’s large youth population is viewed by international actors as a battleground for ideological influence. While there are still legal protections in place, like the African Charter on Human Rights, which affirm the family’s role as the foundation of society and the state’s duty to support it, the preservation of Africa’s cultural identity will require strong resistance to external pressures that conflict with pro-life and pro-family values.
The Pope Removes Paglia: In one of his first major appointments, Pope Leo XIV has removed Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia as Grand Chancellor of the Pontifical John Paul II Theological Institute for Marriage and Family Sciences, replacing him with Cardinal Baldassare Reina. Archbishop Paglia, who turned 80 in April 2025, had led the institute since 2016. During his tenure, the institute underwent significant restructuring, including the dismissal of key faculty members and a shift in focus from traditional theology, to more progressive views. Paglia came to be known for his stance on divorce, as well as vaccines derived from aborted fetal cell lines, and infamously commissioned a “homoerotic mural” to be painted in his cathedral. His removal from the John Paul II Institute is a move to realign the institute with its original theological focus and is regarded as a win for pro-life advocates.
Pro-Life on the Home Front
The Anti-Human Bomber: On May 17th, a bomb detonated outside the American Reproductive Center, a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, California, resulting in one death and at least four injuries. The FBI identified 25-year-old Guy Edward Bartkus as the primary suspect, describing the incident as a targeted act of terrorism motivated by his “nihilistic ideations.” Investigators discovered a manifesto and a 30-minute audio recording in which Bartkus expressed beliefs asserting that existence is inherently harmful and that people should not be brought into the world without consent.
“The mainstream media wasted no time in blaming the Palm Springs IVF bombing on conservative Christians,” says Mr. Mosher. “The NYT suggested that this was because the clinic served LGBTQ clients. Turns out the bomber was a radical population controller, a spawn of the extreme left’s hatred of humanity. Inspired by anti-natalists like Paul Ehrlich, Bill Gates, and Warren Buffet, he was opposed to having babies, regardless of whether it was naturally or by IVF. Population control kills.”
Surgeon General Exposes Birth Control: In a recent interview with Tucker Carlson, President Donald Trump’s new Surgeon General exposed the ugly truth regarding birth control pills. She highlighted how these pills don’t just make the conception of a child impossible but completely shut down a woman’s reproductive system. She compared the side effects of these pills to “pesticides” for a woman’s body, as they shut down hormones to convince women that their reproductive systems are useless and as such they believe there is no tragedy when they are destroyed.
“The incoming Surgeon General is clear-eyed about the dangers of shutting down a woman’s reproductive cycle with powerful, steroid-based hormones,” says Mr. Mosher. “Hopefully she will support educating the public in natural means of regulating fertility–the kind that the Catholic Church, in its wisdom, has always supported.”
Forced to Assist with Abortion: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has initiated a compliance review of Presbyterian Hospital in New Mexico, following reports of ultrasound technicians being forced to participate in abortion procedures. In late 2024, Presbyterian Hospital revised its religious accommodation policy, requiring ultrasound technicians to assist in abortion procedures. Several technicians sought exemptions, but when their requests were not addressed, they enlisted the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) for assistance. The ACLJ stated that the new policy violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Church Amendments, both of which protect anyone from being forced to participate in procedures that conflict with their religious or moral convictions. This move from the Trump administration will ensure that healthcare workers are protected from being forced to perform abortions.
Women Forced Into Abortions: Planned Parenthood has released their annual report, in which they claimed to be a “force for hope.” Yet this organization, which aborted over 400,000 babies last year, has a history of coercing and even forcing women to abort their babies. Isabella Childs, a reporter for LiveAction, gathered personal testimonies from women who were forced into aborting their children at Planned Parenthood. These reports demonstrate how employees at these so-called “clinics” treat women inhumanly. These women’s testimonies all had similar factors, including abortion being the only option presented to them, a lack of regard for both the mother and unborn child, and disregard for the mother’s wishes when she changed her mind about having the abortion. Planned Parenthood is not a “force for hope” and this is not healthcare.
Good News
Pregnant Mom Beats Cancer: A New York mother, Cassy, faced a life-threatening diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia during her second pregnancy. Despite the aggressive nature of the disease, she chose to continue her pregnancy while undergoing intensive treatments, including intravenous chemotherapy, induction therapy, and a bone marrow transplant. Both Cassy and her baby survived. Today, her baby is thriving and Cassy credits her pregnancy for saving her life. Cassy’s story has an important bottom line: pregnant women undergoing life-threatening diseases such as cancer are often encouraged to abort their babies, and yet these diseases can be successfully treated during pregnancy without having long-term effects on the baby.
Quote of the Week
“We cannot build a society if we discard the weakest—whether the child in the womb or the elderly in their frailty—for they are both gifts from God.”
~ Pope Leo XIV
