In This Issue:
- PRI in the Media
- USAID’s Waste
- Deepening Depopulation
- Forced Sterilizations Persist
- Colleges Set to Close
- Why Have Children?
- UN Misdeeds
- UN Advances Abortion
- Science Gone Mad
- Embryo Mixup
- An Unregulated Industry
- MD Allows Trans Treatments for Kids
- Pro-Life Around the World
- Vance Calls Out the UK
- Abortion Required at Hospitals
- Pro-Life on the Home Front
- UW Offers Abortion Pills
- Carpenter Fined and Barred
- Trump Backs IVF
- Good News
- Unifying the Pro-Life Movement
PRI in the Media
USAID’s Waste: In this National Catholic Register piece, Jennifer Morse shared how the recent freeze on USAID expenditures brought the issues of unaccountability and waste within the agency to light. USAID has spent millions of dollars exporting the “sexual revolution” to developing nations. Morse highlighted PRI’s research on the damage USAID has done, including our recent reporting on the government agency’s decades-long push of the Depo-Provera contraceptive. The American public is rightly outraged about the waste of their hard-earned taxpayer dollars, which will hopefully cease permanently under the Trump administration.
Deepening Depopulation
Forced Sterilizations Persist: Last week, in Japan’s Miyagi prefecture, Governor Murai Yoshihiro apologized to victims of the Eugenic Protection Law that ran from 1948 to 1996. This policy led to the forced sterilization of at least 16,500 people and nearly 60,000 abortions. Targeting mostly mentally handicapped individuals or those with hereditary diseases, the policy caused immense suffering to around 900 victims in the prefecture alone. In January, these victims became eligible to apply for compensation. Meanwhile, in Peru, 370,000 victims of forced sterilization are still seeking justice. Non-consensual sterilizations also persist in the US, India, China, and parts of Europe, part of the ongoing legacy of eugenics, which originated in the UK around the early 20th century.
Colleges Set to Close: A Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia study predicts that up to 80 colleges in the U.S. could close within the next five years. Last year, 28 colleges closed and over 100 have closed in the past eight years. Described as “a major higher education policy issue,” the trend is driven by three factors outlined by researcher Robert Kelchen: fewer high school graduates in many regions, a lower percentage of graduates attending college, and reduced enrollment of older students due to a strong economy, all contributing to declining college enrollment. However, another factor plays a major role: falling fertility. With fewer children being born, schools at all levels will shut down as enrollment drops.
“They preached overpopulation to impressionable young people, who then, acting on what they had been taught, killed their ‘legacy applicants’ in utero,” responds PRI president StevenMosher.
Why Have Children?: At the New York Encounter, panelists including Nicholas Eberstadt, Brad Wilcox, and moderator Margarita Mooney Clayton attempted to answer the question, “Why Have Children?” This has been a hot topic as 75% of the world’s population now lives in countries where population growth is declining—a trend not limited to the West but also evident in developing nations now as well. Factors such as the impact of smartphones and the fall in marriage rates were addressed. While not advocating that everyone must have kids, the discussion—part of the broader Catholic-sponsored event—recommended revitalizing family life and sharing its joys in response to declining birth rates, without offering simplistic solutions.
UN Misdeeds
UN Advances Abortion: Last month, the United Nations Human Rights Committee issued a ruling that could expand reproductive rights in Ecuador and Nicaragua. This would advance the efforts of the “Son Niñas, No Madres” movement—formed in 2016 by Planned Parenthood Global, Amnesty International, and Latin American activists—to decriminalize abortion in the region. The ruling addressed legal cases filed in 2019, finding both countries liable for violating the rights of three girls who were raped and allegedly denied abortions for their subsequent pregnancies. The UN committee mandated legislative changes to ensure abortion access, particularly in cases of sexual violence or health risks, and required reparation for the affected girls, with both nations expected to report progress within six months.
Science Gone Mad
Embryo Mixup: A woman named Krystena Murray filed a lawsuit against Coastal Fertility Specialists, a fertility clinic chain in South Carolina and Georgia, after she was implanted with the wrong embryo. Murray, a white woman who had selected a white sperm donor, realized the child was not biologically hers when she delivered a black baby. The clinic allegedly informed the biological parents of the child, who then sued Murray for custody. Five months after delivery, Murray voluntarily relinquished custody in a May 2024 family court hearing and has not seen the child since. She is unaware of the whereabouts of her own biological embryo or if a child related to her is being raised by another family. This case, which is not a standalone occurrence, highlights the lack of regulation in the IVF industry and the familial dysfunction it can cause.
For more information on IVF, read our fact sheet on IVF here.
An Unregulated Industry: In Africa, the rising fertility industry is riddled with poor regulation and a lack of transparency, putting sperm donors and recipients at risk of exploitation and unethical practices. Experts warn that this can lead to relatives unknowingly having children together (consanguinity), increasing the chances of genetic disorders and health issues in offspring. These issues are becoming more prevalent, as more couples face infertility and choose to pursue assisted reproductive technologies (ART) like IVF. Infertility is a major issue in Africa, with a 16% prevalence rate—the highest globally—compared to 13% in the Western Pacific and 12% in Europe, per a 2019 report from the WHO. While primary infertility—difficulty conceiving a first child—is rare in Sub-Saharan Africa, secondary infertility—struggling to conceive after already having children—is a significant problem .
MD Allows Trans Treatments for Kids: A federal judge, Brendan Hurson, temporarily blocked President Trump’s executive order that sought to restrict transgender surgeries for individuals under 19. The ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed by families with gender-dysphoric children, along with an activist LGBTQ+ family group and a medical association that supports these transgender interventions, claiming the order compromised their healthcare. Issued on Thursday, the 14-day restraining order halts Trump’s directive preventing medical institutions from losing federal funding for pushing chemical and surgical mutilation on minors.
Pro-Life Around the World
Vance Calls Out the UK: U.S. Vice President J. D. Vance criticized UK authorities for prosecuting Adam Smith-Connor, a British army veteran and father of two, for silently praying near an abortion facility. Speaking at a security conference in Munich, Vance called the case “most concerning,” citing it as an example of eroding free speech and conscience rights in Europe. Smith-Connor was convicted in November 2024 for praying in a public space across from an abortion clinic within a designated “buffer zone.” Vance highlighted that Smith-Connor stood 50 meters away, praying silently for three minutes without obstructing or interacting with anyone, yet faced charges. Smith-Connor, supported by ADF International, plans to appeal in July and expressed gratitude for Vance’s backing.
“I’m overwhelmingly thankful to Vice President Vance for raising my plight in front of world leaders. Nobody should be criminalised for their prayers, their mere thoughts,” said Mr. Smith-Connor
Abortion Required at Hospitals: A proposed amendment to New South Wales’ abortion laws aims to make it mandatory for most hospitals in the state to offer abortion services. Currently, under the NSW Health directive, public hospitals are not required to provide abortions but must offer referral pathways for women to access timely care. Greens MLC Amanda Cohn, who is introducing the amendment to the Abortion Law Reform Act 2019 in the NSW Parliament’s upper house, claims that the lack of obligation has led to women being turned away from public hospitals. If passed, the amendment would require NSW Health to provide abortion services at most hospitals and health facilities across the state.
Pro-Life on the Home Front
UW Offers Abortion Pills: The University of Washington’s Husky Health Center began offering prescriptions for medical abortion pills, mifepristone and misoprostol, to students starting February 10, 2025. There is no additional cost to the university for providing these services, according to a university official. This move coincides with the Washington legislature’s consideration of Senate Bill 5321, which would force public colleges and universities in the state to provide access to medication abortion, either directly through student health centers or via referrals to abortion providers, including telehealth services. A 2023 report from the Journal for American College Health estimated that students at Washington’s 11 public universities obtain between 550 to 950 medication abortions each year.
Carpenter Fined and Barred: Dr. Margaret Daley Carpenter, a New York abortionist affiliated with Aid Access, has been fined $100,000 and permanently barred from prescribing or shipping abortion drugs to Texas residents. This ruling comes after Texas Attorney General Paxton sued Carpenter in December for illegally sending abortion pills to Texas, where elective abortion is banned except to save the mother’s life or prevent major bodily harm. The lawsuit was prompted by an incident where Carpenter sent abortion pills to a 20-year-old Texas woman, resulting in severe bleeding, hospitalization, and the death of her nine-week-old preborn baby. This case may lead to further legal action against Aid Access, a major player in the illegal abortion network.
Trump Backs IVF: President Trump signed an Executive Order on February 20th, aimed at expanding access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) for Americans. The order directs the development of policy recommendations to protect IVF access and lower the costs borne by individuals and health plans for these treatments. While this aims to increase fertility rates and support family formation, the administration does not understand the tremendous damage that IVF does to both the couples involved and the many embryos created and destroyed. IVF has physical, psychological, and moral consequences, which many seem to ignore.
Read our fact sheet on IVF here.
Good News
Unifying the Pro-Life Movement: A group of pro-life philanthropists in the U.S. has launched the Life Leadership Conference, a $30 million Pro-Life Venture Fund aimed at making abortion “unavailable and unthinkable.” Announced on February 18, 2025, the initiative, led by David Bereit, seeks to unify pro-life efforts by reducing overlap among groups and advancing the movement as a whole. Bereit, a prominent figure from 40 Days for Life and the Equal Rights Institute, described it as a long-overdue step for the pro-life cause. Though still in early development, the conference has already gained support from notable figures, including Leonard Leo of the Federalist Society, Princeton professor Robert George, and retired businessman Ray Ruddy.
Quote of the Week
“If we allow ourselves to be loved by God, we realize we have been created, and everything we have has been given to us. In letting ourselves belong to Him, we find the love and fulfillment for which our hearts were made.”
~ Sister Maris Stella, source
