In This Issue:
- Deepening Depopulation
- Global Fertility Crisis Worsens
- Korea Births See Surge
- U.S. Births Continue Decline
- Foreign Aid Misses Target
- Communist China
- Church Compromised by CCP
- China Targets Christian Church
- Science Gone Mad
- Genetics Over Human Dignity
- IVF Booming in UK
- Pro-Life Around the World
- Welsh Doctors Urged Abortion
- Malta Opposes Assisted Suicide
- UK Assisted‑Suicide Vote Condemned
- Pro-Life on the Home Front
- Major Blow to Planned Parenthood
- Dems Block Abortion Review
- Texas Targets Abortion Pills
- Good News
- Unborn Baby Saves Mother
Deepening Depopulation
Global Fertility Crisis Worsens: Global fertility is collapsing faster than experts predicted, according to a new warning from The Atlantic. For example, Macau, after falling to 0.58 in 2024, birth rates dropped another 13% in early 2025, undermining longstanding UN models that assume eventual stabilization. Countries like Belarus are now seeing more deaths than births, and Thailand’s fertility rate has been steadily falling for 72 years. Japan’s fertility rates, which doomed its economy, ranged from 1.3 to 1.5, meaning countries like Colombia (1.06) and Chile (1.03) face an even more desperate population crisis. These are just a few examples of the many countries facing a decline in fertility and birth rates. Analysts say global population decline may begin by 2055—nearly 30 years earlier than UN forecasts. While previous rebounds offer some historical precedent, today’s sustained, ultra-low fertility may signal a bleak point of no return.
Korea Births See Surge: South Korea just posted its largest monthly birth increase in over three decades—an 8.7% increase from the same month last year. The rise continues a positive streak that started last year, marking ten straight months of increased births, attributed to climbing marriage rates. In April, 18,921 couples got married—a 4.9% year-over-year increase and the 13th straight month of rising marriage numbers. Still, officials are wary about whether the trend will last. South Korea’s total fertility rate remains at a critically low 0.75—far below the 2.1 needed to sustain the population. Recently elected President Lee Jae Myung has prioritized demographic recovery with a suite of pro-family policies, such as loans for newlyweds with partial forgiveness tied to childbirth, expanded child allowances through age 18, and tax reforms. Still, experts doubt that financial incentives alone can reverse the country’s population decline.
U.S. Births Continue Decline: A significant demographic shift is taking place in the U.S. over the past 20 years, with 21 states recording more deaths than births in 2022, and all 50 states experiencing a decline in fertility rates between 2005 and 2023. During that period, the national fertility rate fell 18.4%, dropping from 66.7 to 54.4 births per 1,000 women aged 15–44, according to LendingTree. Although births increased by 1% in 2024, CDC data show the rate remains well below what’s needed for population replacement. The steepest declines occurred in western states with the highest living costs. Adding to the challenge, the cost of raising a child has risen 35.7% over the past two years, placing further financial strain on would-be parents.
“America’s falling birthrates are not just a matter of economics, but of marriage rates, which continue to fall,” says Mr. Mosher. “At the same time, it would help if we made births free. The average cost of giving birth is $6,940 with insurance, $18,000 without.”
Foreign Aid Misses Target: On July 2, the State Department held a press briefing that addressed growing concerns over the effectiveness of U.S. foreign aid. During the briefing, spokeswoman Tammy Bruce revealed that an estimated 90% of American foreign aid fails to reach the people or communities it was originally intended to help. She described the level of waste as deeply troubling and pointed to systemic issues in how the aid is distributed. Bruce emphasized that the Trump Administration is taking active steps to reform the process and ensure accountability moving forward.
“PRI has fought hard against foreign aid for population control for decades,” says Mr. Mosher. “The political pushback we received from the Democrats and some Republicans was fierce. Now we know that 90% of foreign aid never actually made it to its intended destination, but went into the pockets of politicians and the well-connected in both D.C. and in foreign capitals. Did they want to abort, sterilize and contract the world because it was “overpopulated”? Or because they were on the take?”
Communist China
Church Compromised by CCP: A recent episode of Faith & Reason exposes the Vatican’s continued renewal of its secret deal with Communist China—an agreement still hidden from the Catholic faithful. As bishops take oaths that align with CCP policies, concerns mount over the Church’s silence and what may be compromised behind the scenes. LifeSite reporters suggest this is part of a broader campaign by the Communist regime to undermine religious freedom and infiltrate the Church from within. Special concern surrounds the appointment of Hong Kong’s new archbishop, Stephen Chow, who allegedly received CCP approval—a deeply troubling move. The episode paints a picture of strategic manipulation by the Chinese Communist Party and a Vatican unwilling to confront it openly.
“My view of the matter is that the deal that Francis made with the Chinese Communist Party was a sellout,” says Mr. Mosher. “Now that Xi Jinping—an updated version of the brutal Chairman Mao—is on his way out, it is past time to drop the deal and support the Underground Church.”
China Targets Christian Church: As Beijing tightens its control over faith communities, pastors from the Church of Abundance, a Christian congregation that has persisted for nearly 30 years, are on trial, accused of “fraud” and being a “cult,” despite their mainstream theology. The trial began on June 24, 2025, at the Baqiao District Court. Those labeled as “victims” denied that any fraud occurred and asked to testify, but were denied. They then submitted a statement to the court and several human rights organizations. Pastor Lian Xuliang regards this as a clear violation of the rule of law and a pressure tactic to force him to replace his legal team with government-approved lawyers—an increasingly common strategy in cases involving “illegal” religious groups.
Science Gone Mad
Genetics Over Human Dignity: A new IVF tool by Nucleus enables parents using IVF to assess embryos for potential health conditions. Nucleus, a U.S. company, is giving IVF parents the option to choose embryos using software that identifies genetic markers for disease, under the banner of disease prevention. What is marketed as screening for disease easily expands into selecting embryos based on any reason, such as IQ or even eye color. The IVF process already discards a multitude of embryos, and now further embryos are being discarded based on “traits” that are deemed less desirable. According to EWTN, each year, it is likely that more human embryos are lost through IVF than through abortion. By sorting embryos by genetic traits, society has shifted from safeguarding health to making determinations about which human beings are most fit and deserving to live.
Read more about the troubling facts surrounding IVF here.
IVF Booming in UK: IVF is on the rise in Britain, accounting for roughly 1 in every 32 births as of 2023. According to the HFEA, 52,400 people underwent over 77,500 IVF cycles last year, with IVF making up an increasingly large share of total births. Among women aged 40 to 44, 11% of births in 2023 were the result of IVF, up from just 4% in 2000. The BBC reports that the UK’s growing demand is largely driven by lesbian couples and single women. As Lila Rose of Live Action points out, only about 7% of embryos created through IVF lead to a live birth. The remaining 93% are either frozen, miscarried, or destroyed.
Pro-Life Around the World
Welsh Doctors Urged Abortion: After her unborn child was diagnosed with Down syndrome, a Welsh mother says doctors gave her detailed information about abortion but little support for continuing the pregnancy. Her story, shared by Live Action, highlights a troubling trend in prenatal care: abortion is often presented as the default option after a genetic diagnosis. One doctor allegedly told her, “Babies with Down’s are never healthy, and you’ll be lucky if he achieves much.” Midwives offered similar discouragement. Today, her son is thriving. The UK allows abortion after 24 weeks only if the unborn child has a diagnosed disability—even minor ones like a cleft lip—highlighting a double standard in the law. As prenatal testing expands, so do abortions based on disability.
Malta Opposes Assisted Suicide: Earlier this month, Prime Minister Robert Abela expressed openness to legalizing euthanasia in Malta. However, many Maltese citizens remain hesitant or unsure about the issue—40% showed confusion about what assisted suicide actually entails, with only 60% able to define it correctly. A national survey released this week found that 70% of Maltese citizens prefer quality end-of-life care over assisted suicide. While Malta remains largely pro-life, the culture of death is slowly gaining ground, as it faces pressure to legalize abortion and assisted suicide.
UK Assisted‑Suicide Vote Condemned: The John Paul II Academy for Human Life and the Family has issued a strong rebuke following the UK House of Commons’ recent vote to legalize assisted suicide. They observed that clear moral objections grounded in fundamental ethical and natural law principles were largely missing from the public discussion on this issue. The Academy calls for renewed efforts to educate both lawmakers and the public on the inherent value of every human life, emphasizing the urgent need to protect society’s most vulnerable. This development serves as a reminder that upholding life requires vigilance, courage, and a firm grounding in ethical principles.
“All supporters of the Population Research Institute can be justly proud of the work of the lay-run John Paul II Academy for Human Life and Family,” says Mr. Mosher. “PRI is the chief funder of this lay apostolate, which is doing the work that the Pontifical Academy of Life, under Pope Francis, had long abandoned. We pray that Pope Leo will restore PAV to its original mission of protecting and defending innocent human life. Until then, the Academy will continue its vital work.”
Pro-Life on the Home Front
Major Blow to Planned Parenthood: In last week’s Insider, we mentioned the Supreme Court decision upholding South Carolina’s cutoff of Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood. But the ramifications of this action extend far beyond South Carolina and put in jeopardy all of Planned Parenthood’s state funding. Planned Parenthood has repeatedly sued South Carolina—and repeatedly lost. This ruling is a victory for taxpayers and for the pro-life generation that looks forward to the day Planned Parenthood shuts its doors for good. This ruling opens the door for other states to defund Planned Parenthood’s evil agenda, which they so often disguise as “healthcare.”
“The Democrats are up in arms, claiming that women will not be able to receive the health care that they need,” says Mr. Mosher. “But the fact is that nearly all Planned Parenthood abortion centers turn away women who are not there for abortions, referring them to legitimate medical clinics for health care.”
Dems Block Abortion Review: In a revealing move, House Democrats voted to strip a provision from a key appropriations bill that would have required the FDA to conduct a post-market review of the abortion pill mifepristone. Backed by Republicans, the measure sought transparency on serious side effects, including hemorrhage, infection, sepsis, and death. Although the Obama administration in 2016 restricted complication reporting to only maternal deaths, the FDA still documented 4,207 adverse events from 2000 to 2021, including 26 deaths, 1,045 hospitalizations, 603 transfusions, and 413 infections. Led by Rep. Lauren Underwood, Democrats moved to block the review entirely, revealing just how far abortion advocates will go to shield chemical abortion from scrutiny, even at the expense of women’s health.
For more information on the dangers of the abortion pill, check out our fact sheet here.
Texas Targets Abortion Pills: Texas pro-life leaders and lawmakers are urging a special session to halt the widespread trafficking of illegal abortion pills. Despite Texas’s strong pro-life laws, the unchecked shipment of abortion-inducing drugs—around 19,000 pills annually—is undermining the state’s efforts to protect unborn children and women’s health. In May, the Texas Senate passed SB 2880, the Woman and Child Protection Act, which would outlaw the manufacture, possession, distribution, or facilitation of abortion-inducing drugs statewide. It passed the Senate but stalled in the House before the last session ended. Now, nearly 100 pro-life groups are demanding that Abbott prioritize this bill to close the loopholes allowing abortion pill distribution.
Good News
Unborn Baby Saves Mother: Vanessa, a pregnant mother, was diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin’s lymphoma—an aggressive cancer that had already spread to her spleen and liver. Remarkably, it was her pregnancy that led to the discovery. Routine prenatal screening revealed unusual abnormalities—not in the baby, but in Vanessa’s own blood. Further testing confirmed the life-threatening diagnosis. Because of her unborn child, the cancer was caught in time for treatment to begin during pregnancy. After months of chemotherapy, Vanessa gave birth to a healthy baby girl. Her story is a powerful testament to the dignity and value of every unborn child, not only as a life worth protecting, but as one capable of saving another.
Quote of the Week
“God’s mercy calls us to protect every life, especially those society overlooks—the child yet to be born and the elderly nearing their journey’s end—because each bears Christ’s face.”
~ Pope Leo XIV
