In This Issue:
- PRI in the Media
- Victims of Communism
- Deepening Depopulation
- Take a Multi-Factor Approach
- Communist China
- Marry or Get Fired
- Crackdown on “Evil Cults”
- Science Gone Mad
- Minors Protected in Kansas
- Pro-Life Around the World
- Death in the Isles
- Pro-Life on the Home Front
- An Abdication of Duty
- Abortion Drug Provider Butts In
- Delaware Targets Pro-Life Centers
- Babies Unburied
- Missouri Becomes Abortion Destination
- Only Abortion Center May Close
- Good News
- Support for Pregnant Students
PRI in the Media
Victims of Communism: Ave Maria Law School recently hosted a “Victims of Communism” conference. Amongst the presenters was PRI President Steven Mosher, who spoke about his latest book, The Devil and Communist China.
Deepening Depopulation
Taking a Multi-Factor Approach: As more people acknowledge the depopulation crisis, the desire for a “silver bullet” solution grows. But fixing falling fertility rates can’t be done with one single approach. As the Institute for Family Studies points out, developed nations need a multi-factored approach that includes all the known fertility boosters. This includes elevating having children as a cultural value, supporting the institution of marriage, ensuring family-friendly housing is built, and encouraging faith formation. These are just a few of the many factors that contribute to reversing falling fertility.
Communist China
Marry or Get Fired: Shuntian Chemical Group, a company in Shandong, China, recently sparked outrage by introducing a policy pressuring its employees to settle down. Single and divorced employees, aged 28 to 58, were told to marry by September or face dismissal. The policy also required unmarried employees to submit self-criticism letters by March and undergo evaluations by June. The company justified this policy by drawing on traditional Chinese values, stating, “Not responding to the government’s call to improve the marriage rate is disloyal. Not listening to your parents is not filial. Letting yourself be single is not benevolent.” Following swift public backlash and an inspection by the local human resources bureau on February 13th, the company withdrew the policy within a day, confirming no employees were fired due to their marital status.
Crackdown on “Evil Cults”: A report from China’s Ministry of Public Security, published last week on WeChat, detailed a major 2024 campaign targeting “xie jiao” organizations. “Xie jiao” generally means groups that spread heterodox teachings, but the Chinese Communist Party often claims it means “evil cults.” The initiative, which set records for its scale, focused on risk prevention, law enforcement, and governance to curb the growth of these groups, especially Falun Gong and The Church of Almighty God, allegedly to safeguard national security and social stability. The campaign expanded the “Spring Rain Project” in rural areas and ramped up “rehabilitation” and “reeducation” efforts—meaning deprogramming—for members, reflecting a further crackdown on religion in China.
Science Gone Mad
Minors Protected in Kansas: On February 18th, the Kansas Legislature overrode Democratic Governor Laura Kelly’s veto of the Help Not Harm Act (Senate Bill 63). Once in place, this act will prohibit healthcare providers from pushing transgender interventions on children. It will also restrict the use of state funds to promote gender “transitioning” and require that healthcare providers who perform so-called sex-change treatments for minors are professionally disciplined. According to Republican Senate President Ty Masterson, this action will ensure that “Kansas is no longer a sanctuary state for the maiming and sterilization of minors.”
Pro-Life Around the World
Death in the Isles: The Isle of Man is nearing the final stages of passing a law that would allow terminally ill adults with a prognosis of 12 months or less to end their own lives. If passed, this would make it the first jurisdiction in the British Isles to legalize assisted dying. The bill is currently still under debate in the Manx parliament. The Isle of Man’s House of Keys, the lower house, recently rejected an amendment to reduce the residency requirement from five years to one, sending it back to the upper house for further review. This development coincides with ongoing discussions in the UK, where Westminster is examining a similar bill for England and Wales.
Pro-Life on the Home Front
An Abdication of Duty: On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge from pro-life activists, led by Coalition Life, against “buffer zone” restrictions around abortion clinics in Illinois. These buffer zones violate pro-lifers’ First Amendment free speech rights. However, the Supreme Court decided to uphold lower court dismissals, which drew strong dissent from Justice Clarence Thomas. Justice Thomas, joined by Justice Samual Alito, asserted that the Court should have taken up the case, Coalition Life v. City of Carbondale, Illinois, to reconsider the precedent set by Hill v. Colorado. Justice Thomas criticized the Court’s refusal as an “abdication of judicial duty,” arguing that the Colorado ruling has been “seriously undermined” and that this case could have provided clarity to lower courts,
Abortion Drug Provider Butts In: GenBioPro, a manufacturer of mifepristone, has requested to join the ongoing abortion pill lawsuit, FDA vs. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine. GenBioPro wants to join the federal lawsuit as a defendant to prevent the prosecutors from overturning FDA regulations that have broadened access to the abortion drug, including via telehealth. The manufacturer would lose out on profits if these regulations were overturned, as Mifepristone is necessary for chemical abortions. Chemical abortions currently constitute over 60% of all abortions in the United States, with telehealth facilitating tens of thousands of these procedures last year, even in states with abortion restrictions, as reported by the Society of Family Planning’s #WeCount project.
Delaware Targets Pro-Life Centers: The National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA) and A Door of Hope, a pro-life pregnancy center, have filed a lawsuit against a Delaware law, Senate Bill 300. The pro-life groups have stated that the bill unfairly targets crisis pregnancy centers and violates their First Amendment rights. The law requires these centers to display a message stating they are not licensed medical facilities and lack licensed medical providers who provide or supervise services, a statement the plaintiffs argue is misleading since their clinics employ licensed registered nurses and are overseen by a medical director, albeit not always on-site. The plaintiffs contend that the law uses an inconsistent definition of “licensed medical provider” compared to other Delaware statutes and was passed without any evidence or complaints against pregnancy centers to justify it, suggesting it deliberately aims to hinder pro-life operations.
Babies Unburied: Four years ago, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed Senate Bill 27 into law, requiring the humane burial or cremation of aborted babies. However, on February 27th, Hamilton County Judge Alison Hatheway permanently blocked its implementation. The law faced challenges from abortion providers and the ACLU, who argued it imposed vague, costly, and burdensome requirements on facilities. Judge Hatheway ruled in favor of the challengers, asserting that the law violated Ohio’s constitutional amendment protecting abortion rights by impeding access to the procedure, despite the state’s contention that it did not affect abortion availability.
Missouri Becomes Abortion Destination: On February 14th, Jackson County Circuit Judge Jerri Zhang ruled in favor of abortion providers in Missouri, striking down certain licensing requirements for abortion facilities as “discriminatory” and reversing parts of a prior December decision after Planned Parenthood’s motion for reconsideration. The ruling enabled Kansas City Planned Parenthood to perform its first abortion since the Dobbs decision the following day, February 15th. Pro-life leaders like Reagan Barklage of Students for Life and Brian Westbrook of Coalition Life have publicly decried the lack of basic safety and malpractice standards for abortion providers. Following the narrow passage of the constitutional amendment enshrining abortion rights (51.6%) on November 5th, multiple restrictive laws have been overturned. These changes have solidified Missouri’s new status as a destination for “abortion tourism,” with its abortion access up to fetal viability or even later in the pregnancy for maternal health reasons.
Only Abortion Center May Close: A Wyoming bill, HB 42, which requires abortion facilities to be licensed as ambulatory surgical centers, is poised to be signed by Governor Mark Gordon. The law mandates that abortion clinics meet stringent requirements, including wide hallways for ambulance access and the need for abortion providers to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals. If enacted, the law could force the closure of Wellspring Health Access, the state’s only abortion facility in Casper, due to its failure to meet the new standards. While abortion advocates oppose the measure, supporters continue to emphasize that it is aimed at ensuring women’s safety.
Good News
Support for Pregnant Students: Franciscan University of Steubenville (FUS) in Ohio has opened an off-campus residence, Guadalupe House, to support pregnant students. The house provides a nurturing, faith-filled environment where pregnant students can continue their education while receiving practical support, such as a private room, diapers, nursery furniture, and baby clothing. The residence was made possible through a generous donation from Heather and Doug Perry, who offered a former mission house for this purpose. Pregnant students can live there for up to two semesters while paying the on-campus housing rate, with additional assistance from an on-site residence coordinator. The initiative aims to help students balance their education and pregnancy in a supportive setting.
Quote of the Week
“The solution to America’s demographic collapse is within ourselves. Young couples need to realize that love doesn’t divide, it multiplies.”
~ PRI President Steven Mosher, source
