In This Issue:
- PRI in the Media
- Stanford Bows to Beijing
- Deepening Depopulation
- CDC Reports Birth Decline
- Pakistan Fertility Rate Declines
- Communist China
- Hong Kong Schools Shutter
- Woman Reunited After Abandonment
- UN Misdeeds
- EU Pushes Abortion Agenda
- Science Gone Mad
- IVF Clinic Closes After Mix-Up
- Pro-Life Around the World
- Belgium Assisted Deaths Surge
- Neanderthals Buried Their Unborn
- Belarus Moves to Protect Family
- Pro-Life on the Home Front
- Trump Moves to Defund Abortion
- Telehealth Abortions Surge Among Teens
- Illinois Funds Abortions for Uninsured
- Telehealth Abortions Continue Nationwide
- Ethics Journal Floats Forced Abortions
- Good News
- Australia’s most premature baby
PRI in the Media
Stanford Bows to Beijing: This week, PRI President Steven Mosher published his piece in The Times exposing Stanford University’s failure to protect students from Chinese Communist Party espionage and pressure. Drawing on his own experience as a Stanford PhD student in the late 1970s, Mr. Mosher recounts how he was targeted and ultimately expelled after documenting forced abortions and sterilizations under China’s one-child policy. He warns that similar intimidation tactics—what is now called “transnational repression”—are still being used against students who are critical of the Chinese regime today.
Deepening Depopulation
CDC Reports Birth Decline: New CDC data show U.S. births declined 1% in 2025 to 3,606,400, with the general fertility rate falling to 53.1 births per 1,000 women. Teen birth rates dropped 7% to a record low of 11.7 per 1,000—down 72% since 2007. Meanwhile, the abortion industry continues to expand, with growing use of abortion pills contributing to fewer births. The ongoing decline reflects a broader demographic downturn, even as cesarean deliveries rose slightly to 32.5% and preterm births remained at 10.41%.
“The continuing decline in birth rates in the U.S. is very worrisome,” says Mr. Mosher. “We seem to be going the way of Old Europe, that is, entering an extended period of low fertility. This puts us, as a country, in danger of entering into an irrecoverable demographic decline. America needs more babies.
“Part of the decline in the birth rate is undoubtedly due to the increasingly widespread use of the Abortion Pill, not to mention that Planned Parenthood is out with a new report bragging that it is performing more abortions than ever. At the same time, I think the decline is also related to the now closed border, and the crackdown on ‘birth tourism.’ This means fewer and fewer ‘anchor babies’ are being born in the U.S. as deportations and remigration increases.”
Pakistan Fertility Rate Declines: Pakistan’s fertility rate is continuing its gradual decline, falling from 4.0 births per woman in 2018–2019 to 3.6 in 2024–2025, according to a new study. The shift is uneven, with urban fertility at 3.0 compared to 4.1 in rural areas. Contraceptive use has also risen, with the national rate increasing from 34% to 38%. Despite these trends, 36% of respondents still cite a desire for more children, underscoring persistent cultural divides.
Communist China
Hong Kong Schools Shutter: Hong Kong’s record-low birth rate is now forcing widespread primary school closures, with 15 schools unable to meet the minimum 16-student enrollment for the 2026–2027 year. Births fell to just 31,714 in 2025, a 14% drop and the lowest on record, while the number of school-age children has declined by 60,000–70,000 over the past decade. Across East Asia, similar trends persist, with South Korea already closing 4,008 schools amid its ongoing fertility crisis.
Woman Reunited After Abandonment: A Chinese woman abandoned in a toilet as a newborn has been reunited with her biological parents 28 years later. Hong Yangli was abandoned by her grandfather due to his preference for males. He left her with just 120 yuan (about $18) and a note, but thankfully she was rescued and later adopted by a Dutch family. After submitting DNA to a database for missing Chinese children in 2024, authorities identified her parents. The emotional reunion in Jiangxi highlights the lasting human cost of gender bias and family pressure in China, particularly under the one-child policy.
UN Misdeeds
EU Pushes Abortion Agenda: EU Socialists are pushing to relocate the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) from New York to Europe after pro-life nations, including the United States, resisted efforts to enshrine abortion and gender ideology in this year’s outcome document. Citing a “right-wing shift” that has hindered their agenda, the S&D Group—Europe’s second-largest political bloc—has openly criticized opposition to “sexual and reproductive rights.” The move is aimed at sidelining pro-life voices and advancing abortion and gender ideology with less resistance and oversight.
Science Gone Mad
IVF Clinic Closes After Mix-Up: A Florida IVF clinic has shut down following multiple lawsuits, including a case where a woman gave birth to a baby with no genetic connection to her or her partner after an embryo mix-up. The Fertility Center of Orlando announced its closure amid growing scrutiny, with patients instructed to transfer embryos by April 15, 2026. Additional cases involving severe genetic anomalies and infant death are raising serious concerns about the commodification of human life and the lack of accountability within the IVF industry.
Read more about the harsh realities of IVF in our factsheet here.
Pro-Life Around the World
Belgium Assisted Deaths Surge: Belgium recorded a new high of 4,486 assisted deaths in 2025—up 12.4% from the previous year. Assisted suicide now accounts for 4% of all 113,217 deaths nationwide. Since legalization in 2003, assisted deaths have surged by 1,809%. Notably, 24.9% of those euthanized were not terminally ill, including individuals with psychiatric or cognitive conditions, which rose 36% in one year. More than 42,000 people have died this way, highlighting the expansion of this troubling practice.
Neanderthals Buried Their Unborn: New research on Neanderthal remains from La Ferrassie in France suggests that some of the last Neanderthals, dating to roughly 42,610–39,830 years ago, intentionally buried their dead. The site includes eight individuals—adults, children, babies—placed in consistent positions, indicating deliberate funerary practices. Notably, the inclusion of unborn children among the buried suggests that even Neanderthals recognized the humanity of the unborn, offering new insight into early human dignity and social behavior.
Belarus Moves to Protect Family: Belarus has passed new legislation banning the promotion of homosexuality, gender ideology, pedophilia, and deliberate childlessness, with penalties including fines and community labor. The bill, approved by both houses of parliament and expected to be signed by President Alexander Lukashenko, mirrors similar laws in Russia. While homosexuality was decriminalized in 1994, Belarus continues to reject same-sex marriage and is increasingly emphasizing traditional family values in law and policy.
Pro-Life on the Home Front
Trump Moves to Defund Abortion: The Trump administration has taken initial steps to end federal abortion funding through new Department of Health and Human Services guidelines. These rules prohibit Title X family planning grant recipients from using funds for abortion or abortion-related services, while encouraging support for infertility treatment, chronic disease care, and family formation. The move sets the stage for reinstating the Protect Life Rule, which would fully bar abortion providers like Planned Parenthood from receiving Title X funds—potentially costing them tens of millions of dollars.
“The Trump administration was widely criticized for releasing the last year of grants put in place by the Biden Administration, but it was facing a very hostile legal environment in the Courts,” says Mr. Mosher. “By putting these new guidelines in place, the Protect Life Rule will be largely immunized from legal challenges—and Planned Parenthood will lose Title X funding.”
Telehealth Abortions Surge Among Teens: New research shows teens and young adults are driving a surge in online abortion pill use via telehealth in the U.S. following the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Individuals ages 18–24 account for the highest request rates, while minors are increasingly bypassing parental involvement laws. As of early 2025, an estimated 1 in 4 abortions are conducted via telehealth. This trend reflects the growing normalization of ending unborn life, often outside any medical oversight.
Illinois Funds Abortions for Uninsured: Illinois lawmakers are advancing a new bill to expand abortion access by creating a state fund to cover abortions for uninsured and underinsured individuals. The measure would redirect money collected under the Affordable Care Act—estimated to reach tens of millions in other states—into grants for abortion providers. Illinois already requires Medicaid and private insurance to cover abortion, and reported 87,210 abortions in 2025. The proposal further entrenches the state’s role as a major regional hub for abortion services.
Telehealth Abortions Continue Nationwide: A federal judge has allowed continued nationwide access to abortion pills via telehealth—for now—while the FDA conducts a review. Telehealth abortions accounted for an estimated 91,000 cases in states with bans in 2025. Overall, abortions reached approximately 1.1 million nationwide. The case, led by Louisiana, highlights growing concerns over mail-order abortion pills, including reports of coercion and the circumvention of state-level protections.
“Telehealth abortion is quack medicine,” says Mr. Mosher. “Literally anyone, of either sex, of any age, can call in and quickly be sent an abortion pill. As we at PRI have reported, not only is this a death sentence for unborn children, it puts the mothers at serious risk of death or injury. The Trump administration should speedily complete its review of the dangers of the abortion pill and begin to regulate its use—hopefully out of existence.”
Ethics Journal Floats Forced Abortions: A 31-page essay published in the journal Ethics argues that underage pregnancies should be terminated—even against the mother’s will—claiming abortion is necessary for a girl’s “well-being.” The authors suggest that enforcing such procedures may require “sedation or physical restraint.” The proposal has sparked alarm for endorsing forced abortion and dismissing alternatives like parenting or adoption, highlighting the increasing extremism of pro-abortion academics.
Good News
Australia’s most premature baby: A baby girl born at just 22 weeks and 2 days—four and a half months premature—has become Australia’s most premature surviving infant and is now “thriving.” Weighing only 500g (roughly 1.1 pounds) at birth, baby Stevie overcame severe complications, including sepsis, collapsed lungs, and surgery, after spending three months in intensive care. Her survival highlights the remarkable resilience of extremely premature infants and serves as a powerful reminder of the humanity and viability of the unborn at the earliest stages.
Quote of the Week
“The first commandment given to our first parents, Adam and Eve, has never been rescinded. So the message to young couples is, ‘Be Fruitful and Multiply.’ There is plenty of room on God’s green earth for all of us.”
~ PRI President Steven Mosher
