In This Issue:
- PRI in the Media
- Pressure Mounts on China
- Priests Drown Saving Altar Boys
- Deepening Depopulation
- More Babies or Bust
- Anti-Population Group Targets Students
- Iceland’s Tax Holiday Raised Births
- UN Misdeeds
- UN Rejects Definition of Woman
- Pro-Life Around the World
- UK Advances Abortion Decriminalization
- Students Forced to Fund Abortions
- Dehumanizing Miscarriage Care in UK
- Pro-Life on the Home Front
- Trump DOJ Blocks Abortion Lawsuit
- States Advance Pregnancy Center Protections
- West Virginia Advances APR Bill
- Good News
- Pro-Life Support on the Rise
PRI in the Media
Pressure Mounts on China: PRI President Steven Mosher recently appeared on The Schilling Show to discuss China’s growing vulnerability on the global stage. He noted that China imports roughly three-quarters of its energy, relying heavily on countries like Iran and Venezuela for oil. With U.S. pressure targeting these supply lines, the Trump administration is effectively constraining a significant share of China’s energy imports. Mr. Mosher also highlighted the strategic importance of the Panama Canal, emphasizing that Chinese influence there has diminished.
Priests Drown Saving Altar Boys: Two Catholic priests in Ecuador died after rescuing two altar boys from drowning during a Lenten retreat on March 13. The boys survived, but Fathers Alfonso Avilés Pérez and Pedro Anzoátegui gave their lives in the effort. Reflecting on the loss, Carlos Polo, director of PRI’s Latin American office, told ACI Prensa, “The holiest priest I have ever known has passed away: Alfonso Avilés. His homilies were spectacular. He was my friend. We met only a few times, but the spiritual bond that united us was very strong.”
Deepening Depopulation
More Babies or Bust: The Congressional Budget Office now projects that U.S. deaths will outnumber births by 2030, a decade earlier than previously expected—a trend that will only worsen in the decades ahead. Future U.S. population growth will increasingly rely on immigration. Meanwhile, China has already crossed this threshold, with its population dropping 3.39 million in 2025 and fertility falling to just 0.93. Experts warn that without rising birth rates, both nations face long-term economic and geopolitical decline.
Anti-Population Group Targets Students: An organization promoting anti-population propaganda is reportedly reaching millions of students across the United States and Canada through classroom materials. Population Connection, founded by The Population Bomb author Paul Ehrlich, claims its network of 50,000 teachers reaches roughly 3 million students each year. Its curriculum discourages having children at a time when U.S. fertility is already around 1.6 births per woman. The group’s influence in schools raises concerns about anti-natalist messaging shaping the next generation.
Iceland’s Tax Holiday Raised Births: A natural experiment in Iceland challenges the claim that higher income reduces fertility. After the government introduced a “personal tax-free year” in 1987, giving households a sudden boost in disposable income, births rose significantly. Researchers found Iceland’s total fertility rate increased by about 0.33 children per woman above expected levels, with a noticeable surge in births by late 1987. The findings suggest that better financial conditions may encourage family formation, offering insight into policies that could help reverse declining birth rates.
“I have been arguing for years that forcing working families to shoulder a large part of the cost of supporting a growing number of dependents reduces fertility,” says Mr. Mosher. “Couples willing to have children should be given a ‘tax holiday’ to encourage higher birth rates. When Iceland did this, birth rates jumped. America should follow.”
UN Misdeeds
UN Rejects Definition of Woman: Tensions rose at the UN as the European Union and Costa Rica blocked U.S. efforts to clearly define “woman” and limit broad “reproductive health” language often used to promote abortion. Despite requests from 22 countries to delay the vote, the agreement was pushed through without full debate. For the first time in the commission’s 70-year history, the U.S. voted against the final text, highlighting growing concern that UN bodies are promoting gender ideology and pressuring nations to expand abortion policies.
Pro-Life Around the World
UK Advances Abortion Decriminalization: Lawmakers in the UK are advancing legislation that would decriminalize abortion up to birth, after MPs approved the measure by a 379–137 vote. The proposal would remove criminal penalties for women who commit illegal abortions past the current 24-week limit. The House of Lords is now reviewing the bill, considering amendments that include pro-life efforts to strike the decriminalization clause and end at-home abortion via telemedicine.
Students Forced to Fund Abortions: More than 10,000 people, including thousands of students, have signed a petition opposing Austria’s student union abortion fund, which uses mandatory student fees to finance abortions. The “Repro Fund” has allocated €18,000 (roughly $20,660) for the 2025–2026 academic year, with plans to expand. Organized by ProLife Europe, the petition argues students are being forced to subsidize abortion against their conscience.
Dehumanizing Miscarriage Care in UK: A new UK report reveals widespread failures in miscarriage care, with 65% of women lacking adequate follow-up care and 42% receiving no mental health support after the loss of their baby. More than two-thirds reported psychological distress, including depression and PTSD. In one disturbing case, a woman was told by a healthcare professional that her baby had been placed “with the rest of the medical waste.” Such dehumanizing treatment reflects a culture where the value of unborn life has been diminished—an outcome increasingly evident in societies where abortion has become normalized.
Pro-Life on the Home Front
Trump DOJ Blocks Abortion Lawsuit: Pro-life leaders are criticizing the Trump administration after the Department of Justice asked a federal court to dismiss a lawsuit from Texas and Florida seeking to restrict abortion pills. The DOJ argued the states lack “standing” and urged delaying the case during an FDA review of mifepristone, which could take a year or more. Chemical abortions now account for roughly 63% of U.S. abortions, up from 53% in 2020, raising concerns that expanded access is driving rising abortion numbers nationwide.
States Advance Pregnancy Center Protections: Several U.S. states are advancing legislation to protect crisis pregnancy centers from government mandates that would force them to promote or refer for abortion. Modeled after the CARE Act, versions have passed in Wyoming and Montana and are advancing in Kansas and Oklahoma. There are now more than 2,500 pregnancy centers nationwide, compared to 753 abortion clinics. The measures protect freedom of conscience and speech, as funding for these life-saving centers continues to grow.
“The abortion movement has never stopped trying to shut down crisis pregnancy centers,” says Mr. Mosher. “They demand that CPCs, for example, do abortion referrals, even though the Supreme Court has already ruled that this violates their First Amendment rights. What the abortionists are really worried about, of course, is their own bottom line: Every young mom who chooses life is one less abortion fee that they can collect.”
West Virginia Advances APR Bill: West Virginia lawmakers are advancing legislation to expand access to abortion pill reversal (APR), a pill that uses progesterone to counteract the effects of the abortion drug mifepristone. Senate Bill 805 passed the state Senate and cleared a House committee on March 5, allowing state-funded pregnancy centers to offer the treatment. The state allocated $3 million to such centers last year, increasing to $4 million for 2027. SB 805 will now head to the House Finance Committee.
Good News
Pro-Life Support on the Rise: A new Pew Research poll of more than 8,500 Americans shows modest but encouraging gains in pro-life sentiment. The share of Americans who believe abortion should be illegal in all or most cases rose by two percentage points since 2024, while over 76% now support at least some limits on abortion. Opposition to chemical abortions also increased, with a four-point rise overall and 43% of Republicans saying such abortions should be illegal, an eleven-point jump since 2024.
Quote of the Week
“In light of these challenges, we firmly reiterate that the protection of the right to life constitutes the indispensable foundation of every other human right. A society is healthy and truly progresses only when it safeguards the sanctity of human life and works actively to promote it.”
~ Pope Leo XIV
