In This Issue:
- PRI in the Media
- Overpopulation Myth Debunked
- Gen Z Fears Parenthood
- Deepening Depopulation
- U.S. Fertility Declines Again
- Global Fertility Continues Decline
- Communist China
- China Arrests Christian Leaders
- UN Misdeeds
- U.S. Rejects UN Ideology
- Science Gone Mad
- New Hampshire Enforces Sterilization
- Pro-Life Around the World
- Hospital Refuses Eugenic Abortion
- Canada Debates Death Law
- Wealthy Countries Reject Children
- Pro-Life on the Home Front
- Missouri Sues Planned Parenthood
- Fetal Harvest Clinic Closed
- Secret Abortions for Teens
- Washington Hides Suicide Data
- Good News
- World Record for Life
PRI in the Media
Overpopulation Myth Debunked: In a recent interview on From the Median, PRI President Steven Mosher emphasized the urgent need to debunk the myth of overpopulation. He traced the roots of this hysteria to the 1960s and early 1970s, when Paul Ehrlich’s book The Population Bomb sparked widespread fear and led President Nixon to promote an anti-natalist commission aimed at curbing U.S. population growth. To reverse this harmful legacy, Mr. Mosher is calling on President Trump to sign an executive order that would purge these outdated and inaccurate ideas from federal bureaucracy. Only by eliminating the overpopulation myth from public policy can America begin to restore its birth rate and embrace a culture of life.
Sign the petition urging President Trump to sign this executive order here.
Gen Z Fears Parenthood: In his recent article for LifeSiteNews, PRI President Steven Mosher explains that America’s plummeting birth rate isn’t just about rising costs—it’s rooted in fear. For decades, young people have been bombarded with apocalyptic messaging: overpopulation, global cooling, global warming, and now “climate change.” Public schools push the narrative that babies are “little carbon emitters” and that fewer children mean a healthier planet. More than half of Generation Z has been convinced that having children could soon render the planet unlivable. Mr. Mosher warns that no amount of financial incentive can overcome such deep-rooted anxiety. To reverse the decline, he urges bold reform—eliminate anti-natalist propaganda from classrooms and celebrate population growth as a driver of human flourishing.
Deepening Depopulation
U.S. Fertility Declines Again: New data from the National Center for Health Statistics, a division of the CDC, shows that while the number of U.S. births rose slightly in 2024 to 3.63 million, the overall fertility rate continued to fall—from 54.5 to 53.8 births per 1,000 women aged 15–44. Birth rates dropped across all younger age groups: teens (down 4%), women in their 20s (down 2–3%), and women in their early 30s (down 1%). Only women aged 40–44 saw a small increase, while rates for those 35–39 stayed the same. More babies are being born by C-section, and fewer births are being paid for by Medicaid—40.2% in 2024 compared to 41.5% in 2023. Despite a slight rise in total births, America’s fertility crisis is far from over. Real change will take more than policy—it will take a renewed culture that values children and family.
Global Fertility Continues Decline: A recent Wall Street Journal article reports that global fertility rates continue to decline, with last year’s global average at 2.25 children per woman, just above the replacement level of 2.1. Two-thirds of the world now lives with fertility rates below 2.0, and if trends continue, the population could peak at 10.2 billion by 2080—then begin to rapidly decline. In their book After the Spike, economists Dean Spears and Michael Geruso warn that depopulation threatens global progress. The authors reject simple explanations, like rising costs or policy gaps, and point instead to deeper cultural and psychological shifts. Fewer people mean fewer innovators, entrepreneurs, and problem-solvers. To secure the future, they argue, we must recognize declining fertility as a real crisis and reclaim a vision that sees human life as a blessing, not a burden.
Wealthy Countries Reject Children: Wealthy nations around the world are seeing dramatic declines in birth rates—and new research shows it’s not just about economics. Countries like Japan, Italy, Canada, and Greece now have fertility rates below 1.5, while South Korea, Singapore, and China have dropped below 1.0, according to an NBER study. While the high cost of living is often blamed, scientists point to deeper cultural shifts: delayed marriage, fewer people wanting children at all, and declining religious belief. Economists describe “shifting priorities” as a growing focus on career and personal fulfillment over traditional family life, which is one of the leading reasons why people in wealthy countries are choosing not to have children. Experts warn that unless these cultural values change, no amount of government incentive will be enough to reverse the collapse.
Communist China
China Arrests Christian Leaders: In yet another crackdown on Christianity, Chinese authorities in Shenyang have arrested five leaders of the Shenyang Youth Fellowship, a Christian church preaching a mainline Protestant theology, accusing them of “cult-like” activity. Among those detained are Pastor Mingdao and four other core Christian leaders, all reportedly taken into custody. Authorities allegedly pressured Pastor Mingdao to sign false confessions and “repentance letters.” Chinese authorities labeled the Christian group’s peaceful gatherings as a “cult”. This is a tactic frequently used by the CCP to suppress house churches that operate outside the state-sanctioned religions. This is part of a broader pattern in Communist China, where independent religious activity is treated as a threat to regime control.
UN Misdeeds
U.S. Rejects UN Ideology: The Trump administration voted against a major UN development agreement, warning that it advanced a “soft form of global government” and undermined national sovereignty. The administration also objected to the inclusion of radical abortion policies, “gender ideology,” and DEI language. For years, the UN has used terms like “gender ideology” and “sexual and reproductive health” to quietly embed radical social agendas into international policy. Now, the Trump administration is pushing back, urging the deletion of specific paragraphs in UN documents that promote abortion and ideological language. With growing international support, particularly from Eastern European nations, the U.S. is leading a renewed effort to challenge the UN’s social agenda. Backed fully by the State Department, this could mark the beginning of serious reform for the UN.
Science Gone Mad
New Hampshire Enforces Sterilization: New Hampshire has become the first state to legally require doctors to comply with a patient’s request for voluntary sterilization, removing a physician’s ability to decline based on personal or ethical convictions. While sterilization is already legal in the United States, this new law mandates that doctors cannot refuse, regardless of a patient’s age, marital status, number of children, or future fertility goals. By legally obligating doctors to participate in life-altering procedures, New Hampshire is expanding conformity to a worldview that treats fertility as a condition to be fixed, not a gift to be cherished.
Pro-Life Around the World
Hospital Refuses Eugenic Abortion: A Catholic hospital in Australia is under fire after refusing to perform an abortion requested by parents who feared their baby might be born with a disability. The parents, who otherwise wanted the child, sought what is commonly referred to as a “eugenic abortion,” but were denied because there was no medical necessity since the condition of the baby was not life-threatening to the mother or the child. The Catholic hospital does not provide abortions unless the mother’s life is at risk. In response, the parents took their story to the media, prompting public backlash against the hospital. She later obtained a surgical abortion through a private facility. This baby’s life was ended simply for the possibility of a disability. A sobering reflection of a culture that deems some lives unworthy of being lived.
Canada Debates Death Law: In Canada, Parliament now has a pivotal opportunity to halt the expansion of medically assisted suicide. Currently, patients can choose to have a doctor administer life-ending drugs—removing the stigma of suicide but with the same final outcome. In 2023, over 15,000 people died by euthanasia, a 15% rise from 2022. Among them were 622 non-terminal patients, many citing disability, loneliness, or feeling like a burden. One expert called this system a form of “social murder.” Earlier this summer, MP Tamera Jansen introduced the “Right to Recover Act” to permanently block Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) for mental illness. The proposed legislation could preserve life by reinforcing some legal and ethical boundaries around MAID.
Pro-Life on the Home Front
Missouri Sues Planned Parenthood: Missouri has filed a lawsuit against Planned Parenthood Federation of America, accusing the organization of misleading women about the risks of the abortion pill Mifepristone. The suit claims Planned Parenthood publicly compared mifepristone’s safety to common drugs like Tylenol and penicillin, yet failed to disclose that at least 4.5% of women who take mifepristone face serious side effects, with one study reporting severe complications in 11% of cases. In its lawsuit, Missouri is seeking over $1.8 million in civil penalties, up to $1,000 per woman who received abortion pills in the past five years, reimbursement for Medicaid and taxpayer-funded emergency care, and a court order to stop Planned Parenthood from spreading false claims about the abortion pill in the state. Medical abortion now represents over half of all U.S. abortions, making this lawsuit a pivotal moment in protecting the unborn.
Fetal Harvest Clinic Closed: For years, Houston’s Prevention Park clinic—once Planned Parenthood’s largest facility in the Western Hemisphere—operated as a so-called “mega-center” for abortions, including the now-infamous harvesting of intact fetal cadavers exposed in undercover footage from 2015. The facility sold aborted baby parts to the highest bidder and likely altered abortion procedures without patient consent to harvest intact organs more effectively. In 2021, Texas successfully stripped Planned Parenthood of Medicaid funding. Now, under growing legal, political, and financial pressure, Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast has announced the permanent closure of Prevention Park, joining the growing list of Planned Parenthood closures.
Secret Abortions for Teens: In Nevada, Planned Parenthood has initiated a lawsuit aiming to preserve teenagers’ access to secret abortions, even if state law would otherwise require parental notification. In its lawsuit, Planned Parenthood portrays involving parents in their daughter’s pregnancy and potential abortion as an extreme or unreasonable demand. Planned Parenthood claims abortion, including with Mifepristone, is “very safe” with low complication rates for the mother. But studies show abortion can cause lasting physical and emotional harm—especially for underage girls. Parental involvement in a minor’s pregnancy, by contrast, has been linked to lower teen suicide rates. The case now tests whether Nevada will uphold parental authority or prioritize unrestricted access to abortion for minors.
Washington Hides Suicide Data: The Washington State Department of Health has announced it will stop publishing data on assisted suicides, raising serious concerns about the loss of transparency in an already deeply unethical practice. This decision ends a reporting measure that has been in place since the passage of its so-called “Death with Dignity Act,” ending public reporting on assisted suicides, though the practice remains legal. Rebecca Vachon, Health Director at Cardus, warned that ending public reporting could obscure the real reasons people choose to end their lives, including whether vulnerable groups are being disproportionately impacted.
Good News
World Record for Life: A baby born in Iowa has set a new world record as the most premature infant to survive. Nash Keen was born at just 21 weeks gestation, nearly a full week earlier than the previous record-holder, and weighed only 10 ounces. Doctors gave him a 0% chance of survival, but with intensive care, he defied the odds. Now a thriving one-year-old, Nash still requires oxygen and feeding support but continues to make developmental progress. His story, recognized by Guinness World Records, is a powerful reminder of the resilience of life in its most fragile form, and an amazing testament to the humanity of even the tiniest preborn child.
Quote of the Week
“Embrace with tender affection the whole of humanity, especially the poorest, the weakest, the least important.”
~Pope Francis
