In This Issue:
- PRI in the Media
- Confronting the UN’s Abortion Agenda
- Deepening Depopulation
- France Expands Parental Leave
- Bhutan Pays Families for Third Child
- America’s Fertility Decline Explained
- Science Gone Mad
- Human Embryo Editing Advances
- Pro-Life Around the World
- Dutch Child Euthanized
- Pro-Life on the Home Front
- California Targets Abortion Pill Reversal
- Telehealth Abortion Case Advances
- Pro-Life Victory at OAS
- Good News
- Premature Baby Defies the Odds
PRI in the Media
Confronting the UN’s Abortion Agenda: This week, National Right to Life highlighted PRI President Steven Mosher’s work exposing the United Nations’ global abortion agenda. The article pointed to PRI’s ongoing efforts to challenge UN agencies and international organizations that use terms like “sexual and reproductive health rights” to advance abortion worldwide. It also highlighted the work of Carlos Polo and PRI’s Latin America office in exposing the Latin American Consortium Against Unsafe Abortion, helping bring greater scrutiny to its activities.
Deepening Depopulation
France Expands Parental Leave: France has introduced additional paid parental leave in an effort to address its worsening birth rate. Under the new policy, mothers and fathers can share up to two extra months of leave, receiving 70% of their net salary during the first month and 60% during the second month. The reform follows France’s historic 2024 milestone of recording fewer births than deaths for the first time since World War II.
Bhutan Pays Families for Third Child: Bhutan has launched a new program offering families Nu 10,000 (about $105) per month for third and subsequent children until age three in an effort to reverse its declining birth rate. The country’s fertility rate has fallen from 5.6 children per woman in 1994 to 1.7 in 2017, while annual births dropped from 11,001 in 2015 to 7,230 in 2025. Officials acknowledge that financial incentives alone are unlikely to reverse the demographic decline without broader family-friendly reforms.
“Simple financial incentives are insufficient,” says Mr. Mosher. “Raising the birth rate requires a simultaneous change in the culture, specifically a reawakening of the transcendent nature of man and a tethering of religious belief.”
America’s Fertility Decline Explained: A new analysis from the Institute for Family Studies argues that there is no mystery behind America’s falling birth rate. Between 2007 and 2025, the U.S. fertility rate fell from 2.1 to 1.57 children per woman, with 78% of the decline driven by fewer births among women ages 20–29. During that period, fertility among women in their 20s fell 38%, while 18.8% of women reaching the end of their childbearing years in 2024 had never given birth—nearing a record high.
Science Gone Mad
Human Embryo Editing Advances: Scientists have successfully used “base editing” to alter the DNA of human embryos, allowing them to develop for about a week to study early human development. The study revealed new insights into embryonic development but also intensified ethical concerns over experimentation on human embryos. Researchers and ethicists warn that increasingly precise embryo gene-editing technologies could pave the way for heritable genetic modification, raising profound questions about permanently altering future generations and the growing willingness to treat human embryos as a subject of experimentation.
Pro-Life Around the World
Dutch Child Euthanized: The Netherlands has reported the euthanasia of a child under the age of 12, the first known case since expanding its euthanasia law in 2024 to permit physician-assisted death for terminally ill children with parental consent. The Netherlands and Belgium remain the only countries in the world to allow euthanasia for minor children. Pro-life advocates warned that this tragic case demonstrates the continued expansion of assisted suicide and the dangers of the euthanasia “slippery slope.”
Pro-Life on the Home Front
California Targets Abortion Pill Reversal: A California court has begun hearing the state’s lawsuit against Heartbeat International and RealOptions Obria Medical Clinics over their promotion of abortion pill reversal. The state claims the organizations give “false and misleading statements” to woman about the treatment, while the pro-life groups argue they are providing medically supported information that has helped save thousands of unborn babies. If successful, the lawsuit could impose more than $20 million in fines and restrict pro-life organizations from informing women about the life-saving treatment.
Telehealth Abortion Case Advances: The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has agreed to expedite Louisiana v. FDA, a case challenging the FDA’s policy allowing abortion pills to be prescribed through telehealth and mailed nationwide. Louisiana argues the policy undermines the state’s pro-life laws and has increased Medicaid costs due to injuries suffered by women after taking chemical abortion pills. The case will be heard on September 9, with many expecting the issue to ultimately be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Pro-Life Victory at OAS: Pro-life advocates successfully blocked efforts to insert abortion, euthanasia, and so-called “sexual and reproductive health and rights” language into the Declaration of Panama at the 56th General Assembly of the Organization of American States, held June 22 through 24. Pro-lifers hailed the omission as an important victory, warning that such language is often used to pressure nations to weaken protections for unborn babies and expand assisted suicide policies.
Good News
Premature Baby Defies the Odds: Baby Luca, born seven weeks premature and without a heartbeat, survived after doctors spent around an hour resuscitating him. He was diagnosed before birth with gastroschisis, a condition affecting about 1 in 2,000 babies, Luca has since undergone three operations and continues to recover. His story highlights the life-saving abilities of medical care and the value of treating every unborn child as a patient worthy of protection.
Quote of the Week
“I would like to remind everyone, especially governments engaged in boosting the world’s economic and social assets, that the primary capital to be safeguarded and valued is man, the human person in his or her integrity.”
~ Pope Benedict XVI
