In This Issue:
- PRI in the Media
- PRI President Steven Mosher on Real Clear Politics
- Deepening Depopulation
- The Great Depopulation
- England’s Birthrate Hits Record Low
- Communist China
- China Arrests Six Christians
- Rosewood Expands Parental Leave Globally
- Science Gone Mad
- UK Expands IVF Industry Tools
- Pro-Life Around the World
- Scotland Abortions Reach Record High
- Malta Pro-Lifers Demand Answers
- Pro-Life on the Home Front
- Abortion Pills Flood the Internet
- Planned Parenthood Pushes Pill Stockpiling
- Oklahoma Cracks Down on Abortion Pills
- Good News
- Premature Baby Survives Against the Odds
PRI in the Media
PRI President Steven Mosher on Real Clear Politics: Recently, PRI President Steven Mosher joined Real Clear Politics to discuss escalating tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, Taiwan, and the so-called “Thucydides Trap” in U.S.-China relations. Mr. Mosher argued that China’s economy is faltering while the United States remains resilient, dismissing the idea of an inevitable conflict with China. He also highlighted Japan’s growing role in Taiwan’s defense and said Taiwan’s continued independence demonstrates it is better off outside communist China.
Deepening Depopulation
The Great Depopulation: A recent article published by The Atlantic warns the world is entering an unprecedented demographic decline as fertility rates fall below the 2.1 replacement level across most of North America, Europe, South America, and Asia. Economist Jesús Fernández-Villaverde predicts the global population could begin shrinking by 2055, noting the U.S. fertility rate has fallen to 1.57 children per woman. The report links collapsing birthrates to contraception, delayed marriage, social media use, feminism, and housing costs.
“What a difference a decade makes,” says Mr. Mosher. “Even the secular press—and you can’t get more secular than the reliably left-wing Atlantic—is now waking up to the childless reality that they have helped to create by their relentless hyping of ‘overpopulation.’”
England’s Birthrate Hits Record Low: The fertility rate in England and Wales fell to a record low of 1.39 children per woman in 2025, down from 1.41 in 2024. Births also dropped to 585,396—the lowest total since 1977. Meanwhile, more than one-third of births were to mothers born outside the UK, continuing a long-term demographic shift. Officials pointed to rising mortgage, food, fuel, and childcare costs as factors discouraging people from having children.
Communist China
China Arrests Six Christians: Chinese authorities in Guizhou Province have arrested six Christians on charges of fraud and “organizing minors to disrupt public order” for activities including Sunday school, sharing the Gospel with children, and worship. The arrests follow a growing crackdown on unregistered churches after China revised its Public Security Administrative Punishments Law to further target so-called “illegal religious activities.”
“It has always been illegal to share the faith with young people under the age of 18, according to Communist Chinese law,” says Mr. Mosher. “But enforcement has been spotty. This new case suggests that, at least in one province, the Communists are determined to ensure that the faith is not passed down to the next generation.”
Rosewood Expands Parental Leave Globally: As Hong Kong’s fertility rate remains near 0.8 children per woman and births fell to a record low of just over 31,000 in 2025, Rosewood Hotel Group announced a new global parental leave policy. They are offering 16 weeks of fully paid leave for all employees, including adoptive parents. The move comes as Asian nations struggle with collapsing birthrates, aging populations, high childcare costs, and workplace cultures that often discourage family formation.
Science Gone Mad
UK Expands IVF Industry Tools: Researchers at the University of Aberdeen have launched a new IVF prediction calculator using data from all licensed UK fertility treatments to estimate chances of success across up to six IVF cycles. The tool highlights the low success rates of IVF, with couples frequently undergoing repeated unethical and costly rounds of treatment before achieving pregnancy. In 2023, 18,520 opposite-sex couples began IVF in the UK. While the industry claims the calculator will help couples better navigate the IVF process, the practice itself remains unchanged, with countless embryos still routinely frozen, discarded, and destroyed.
Pro-Life Around the World
Scotland Abortions Reach Record High: Scotland recorded 18,783 abortions in 2025, the highest number on record and a 54.78% increase from 12,135 abortions in 2016. Repeat abortions accounted for 42.2% of all abortions, while disability-selective abortions rose 61% since 2018. The increase comes as Scotland continues allowing at-home abortion services and abortion activists push to remove the 24-week abortion limit entirely, potentially permitting abortion on demand up to birth.
“Scotland is setting new records for the lowest birth rates and the highest abortion numbers on record,” says Mr. Mosher. “Scotland, the land of lochs and legends, is being emptied of people.”
Malta Pro-Lifers Demand Answers: Ahead of Malta’s May 30 snap election, the Life Network Foundation launched a campaign demanding all six political parties clearly state whether they support introducing abortion or voluntary assisted euthanasia. Malta remains one of the last European nations with strong legal protections for the unborn, rooted in its Catholic constitutional identity. The move comes after the ruling Labour government pledged a referendum on euthanasia if re-elected.
Pro-Life on the Home Front
Abortion Pills Flood the Internet: A new report found abortion drugs are now widely available online in all 50 states, often in violation of federal and state laws. The study identified eight online-only organizations shipping abortion pills into pro-life states, while only 19% of online abortion providers complied with the FDA’s 70-day safety limit. Some websites allow abortion pills to be ordered as easily as an Amazon purchase, often without prescriptions, ultrasounds, age verification, or medical supervision.
Planned Parenthood Pushes Pill Stockpiling: Planned Parenthood has launched a new “Just in Case Abortion Pills” program in Hawaii and Washington, allowing women to obtain and store abortion drugs before becoming pregnant and without an in-person consultation. Pro-life groups warned the program endangers women, noting Planned Parenthood says the drugs may be used through 12 weeks despite FDA approval only extending to 10 weeks. Chemical abortions accounted for 65% of all U.S. abortions in 2023, while Planned Parenthood performed a record 434,450 abortions between 2023 and 2024.
“The battle for life now centers on the deadly abortion pill,” says Mr. Mosher. “The pill is available to almost anyone by making a simple phone call. It must be banned, or heavily restricted.”
Oklahoma Cracks Down on Abortion Pills: Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt has signed House Bill 1168 into law, making the illegal trafficking of abortion-inducing drugs a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and fines reaching $100,000. The law targets the unlawful distribution of abortion drugs such as mifepristone and misoprostol amid growing concerns over mail-order abortion pills being distributed outside medical settings and without oversight.
Good News
Premature Baby Survives Against the Odds: A baby girl born at just 23 weeks gestation and weighing only 1lb 1oz has finally gone home after spending 172 days in a neonatal intensive care unit more than 5,000 miles from her family’s home in Ghana. Despite battling pneumonia and undergoing multiple reintubations, baby Akosua survived and now weighs 9 pounds. Doctors described the premature infant’s recovery as “a real miracle.”
Quote of the Week
“Human dignity does not depend on a person’s abilities, wealth, or position in life, nor on the right or wrong choices made; instead, it is a gift that precedes and transcends each person, endowed by God as an expression of his unfailing love.”
~ Pope Leo XIV
