In This Issue:
- PRI in the Media
- A Note from PRI President Steven Mosher
- Deepening Depopulation
- Make Marriage Matter
- Ideal Time for Milestones
- Communist China
- Vanishing Brides
- Milk for Mothers
- UN Misdeeds
- Ireland Supports Abortion Radicals
- Feminists Shut Out Conservatives
- Science Gone Mad
- Recognizing Embryos Personhood
- Pro-Life on the Home Front
- Planned Parenthood’s Admission
- Medina v. Planned Parenthood
- Texas to Adjust Abortion Law
- Maryland’s Abortion Fund
- Good News
- Flagship Abortuary Closes
PRI in the Media
A Note from PRI President Steven Mosher: “You will all be pleased to note that the Center for Right-Wing Studies at the University of California (where I once taught) has paid special attention to PRI’s work and that our publications are part of the Center’s collection of research material at U.C. Berkeley’s Bancroft Library.
They do not clearly define what they mean by ‘Right Wing,’ of course. This is simply a blanket pejorative that these Marxists/Socialists attach to any group that defends America’s traditional understanding of the importance of faith, life, family, and freedom.”
Deepening Depopulation
Make Marriage Matter: A recent CDC report on U.S. birth data for 2023 shows no significant change in the country’s declining birth rate, which poses long-term concerns for the economy, Social Security, the military, and caregiving as the population ages. The fertility rate has been below replacement level for years. While there is renewed focus on policies encouraging reproduction, the core issue lies in the decline of marriage rates. Fewer Americans are marrying, and those who do are delaying marriage, which in turn delays family formation and lowers birth rates. To address the “birth dearth,” the focus must shift to strengthening and promoting healthy marriages, as they are crucial for stable families and a thriving society. In the words of the Daily Signal, we need to “make marriage matter” again.
Ideal Time for Milestones: A recent Pew Research survey found that young adults in the U.S. are reaching key life milestones—such as marriage, having children, buying a home, and retiring—later than previous generations. While many Americans believe there is no specific “best” age for these events, those who do offer an ideal age typically suggest getting married, having children, and buying a home between the ages of 25 and 34. For retirement, 45% of respondents say the ideal age is in one’s 60s. On average, Americans think the best age to marry is 26.5, to have a first child is 27.3, and to buy a home is 28.8. However, the actual timing for these milestones often occurs later in life, reflecting broader trends such as delayed marriage and homeownership, with 62% of adults aged 18 to 34 still renting.
Communist China
Vanishing Brides: China’s marriage rate is in steep decline and, like many of China’s issues, this is a result of the One-Child Policy. Due to the prevalence of sex-selective abortion during the policy’s reign, today China has a severe gender gap. There are an estimated 30 to 50 million men who will be unable to find wives between now and 2050. This “leftover men” phenomenon is fueling illegal practices like human trafficking and the purchase of foreign brides, primarily from Southeast Asia. The Chinese government has allegedly pledged to crack down on this illegal activity, but this will not resolve the core issue that their country has too many men and too few women.
“The brides in China did not suddenly vanish,” says Mr. Mosher. “They were systematically hunted down and destroyed in utero by the deadly confluence of two different factors: The one-child policy and the preference of the Chinese for sons over daughters. That’s all it took to create a tsunami of female infanticide and sex-selection abortion targeted at unborn baby girls.”
Milk for Mothers: In an effort to address China’s declining population, Hohhot, the capital of Inner Mongolia, has introduced a range of childcare subsidies, including financial incentives and a daily cup of free milk for new mothers. More than 20 provinces across China have implemented similar measures as part of a broader government strategy to encourage young couples to marry and have children. The country is experiencing an unprecedented demographic decline, partly due to the legacy of the one-child policy, rapid urbanization, and the high cost of raising children. In response, Premier Li Qiang recently announced additional childcare subsidies and free preschool education to boost the birth rate. Hohhot’s specific offerings include a one-time 10,000 yuan payment for the first child, ongoing subsidies for second and third children, and a voucher system for mothers to access dairy products, reflecting the government’s push to incentivize family growth.
UN Misdeeds
Ireland Supports Abortion Radicals: Ireland was once one of the most pro-life countries in the world until abortion was legalized in 2018. Ireland’s Mission to the United Nations in New York recently showcased just how extreme the nation has become, by hosting a breakfast event for the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) alongside the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR). The event launched the CRR’s new manual on strategies to change laws on abortion and other issues in the sexual and reproductive health and rights agenda called Pathways to Change: Building Stronger Legal Guarantees for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights. Also at this event, Ireland’s Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee, highlighted Ireland’s journey from protecting life in the womb under the Eighth Amendment to legalizing abortion. The CRR, supported by Ireland’s Mission to the UN, hopes the manual will motivate abortion extremists around the world.
Feminists Shut Out Conservatives: The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) at the United Nations has seen a noticeable shift, particularly following changes in U.S. leadership. The latest political declaration adopted by CSW included controversial language on “gender” and “intersecting forms of discrimination,” which pro-life groups view as an attempt to broaden the scope of gender identity and sexual orientation issues. However, the omission of references to “sexual and reproductive health” and “reproductive rights” disappointed pro-abortion groups like the International Planned Parenthood Federation. As tensions rise, pro-life and pro-family organizations have reported increased exclusion from publicly advertised events and difficulty in securing approval to host events. As the Center for Family and Human Rights points out, “In the past, feminists largely ignored the conservative presence at CSW, but no longer.”
Science Gone Mad
Recognizing Embryos’ Personhood: A Virginia judge, Dontaè L. Bugg, has ruled that embryos are not property that can be divided in a divorce case, rejecting a previous court analysis that likened embryos to “goods or chattel” based on 19th-century slave laws. The case involved a cancer survivor, Honeyhline Heidemann, who sued her ex-husband for access to two embryos they had frozen during in vitro fertilization. Bugg criticized the prior reliance on outdated legal concepts tied to slavery and emphasized that Virginia law had long since removed references to slavery. This case is another step in the fight for recognition of embryos’ personhood currently ongoing in the United States.
Pro-Life on the Home Front
Planned Parenthood’s Admission: In a rare moment of honesty, Planned Parenthood recently acknowledged the dangers of abortion pills. Casi Scully, a Planned Parenthood associate medical director, admitted that unregulated abortion pills can lead to serious complications like bleeding and infection. This admission followed a tragic case in Pennsylvania where a woman used abortion pills purchased online and buried the deceased baby in the backyard after the do-it-yourself abortion. The national director of American Life League (ALL), Katie Brown Xavios, reacted to Planned Parenthood’s admission with the following statement:
“Planned Parenthood has confirmed the dangers that American Life League has been warning about for decades. No, abortion pills are NOT safe, especially when they come from an unregulated source. The irony in all this falls on the fact that Planned Parenthood themselves refer women directly to these online vendors that send pills recklessly and without any authorization or regulation. But let’s not forget, even the ‘safest’ pills still result in a dead baby. The business of abortion pills is never safe, for mom or for baby, and Planned Parenthood is to blame.”
For more information on the abortion pill, read our fact sheet here.
Medina v. Planned Parenthood: The Supreme Court may soon make a pivotal decision regarding whether states can withhold taxpayer funding from Planned Parenthood. The case, Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, follows a dispute in South Carolina where the state disqualified Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid funding, but a federal court forced the state to restore it. Alliance Defending Freedom is representing the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, arguing that states should have the right to withhold funding from organizations like Planned Parenthood that fail to meet state qualifications. The case, set for oral arguments on April 2, could determine if the American public should be forced to fund organizations that perform abortions and distribute gender transition drugs to minors.
Texas to Adjust Abortion Law: Texas Republican state Senator Bryan Hughes has introduced a bill to clarify medical exceptions under the state’s abortion law. This clarification would still require a medical emergency for an abortion to be performed, however, the requirement that the condition be “life-threatening” would be removed. The bill also aims to ensure doctors and hospital lawyers are trained on the law in order to prevent situations where hospital lawyers advise against treating patients due to legal uncertainties. This legislative effort mirrors similar actions taken by Kentucky lawmakers, who recently added medical exceptions to their state’s near-total abortion ban.
Maryland’s Abortion Fund: The Maryland Senate has voted 29-15 to create an abortion fund using money from the federal Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), establishing the nation’s first program of its kind. Senate Bill 848 would create a “Public Health Abortion Grant Program,” allocating $25 million from ACA health insurance surcharges to ensure “equitable access to abortion care” for individuals without sufficient resources. The funds would be distributed as grants to abortion facilities. A companion version of the bill was approved in the House of Delegates, but the two versions must be reconciled before being signed into law by Democratic Governor Wes Moore. If this occurs, then the program will take effect on July 1st.
“Poor women do not need free abortions,” Maryland Right to Life executive director Laura Bogley stated. “They need public support programs that will empower them to choose life for their children.”
Good News
Flagship Abortuary Closes: On March 19th, Planned Parenthood of Greater New York announced that it will be closing its flagship Manhattan facility at 26 Bleecker Street. Planned Parenthood claimed this was due to financial pressure and maintenance costs, but for the staunch pro-lifers who have spent over a decade praying outside the abortuary, this was divine intervention. The prayers of participants of Witness for Life and 40 Days for Life, for the women, the unborn children, and the workers, have been answered. This is a victory in the ongoing battle for life.
“It seemed especially fitting that the announcement came today, on the feast of St. Joseph,” said journalist Jeffrey Bruno. “St. Joseph, guardian of the Holy Family, embodies faithfulness, humility and silent strength. His life, marked by unwavering obedience to God and protection of the most vulnerable, mirrors the quiet, steadfast witness of those who’ve prayed outside the facility.”
Quote of the Week
“Mothers are the most powerful influence for good on the earth today… Within their hands lies the very future of the world. Mothers of the world deserve our greatest respect, our protection, and our care.”
~ The Power of Mothers, source
