In This Issue:
- PRI in the Media
- Fauci Vaccine Scrutiny
- Deepening Depopulation
- The Atlantic Questions Siblings
- Koreans Less Alarmed by Birthrate
- Finland’s Cohabitation Reform Hurt Fertility
- Vietnam Tries to Reverse Birth Decline
- Science Gone Mad
- Frozen Embryos Dominate IVF
- Pro-Life Around the World
- Irish Women Seek Post-Abortion Counseling
- Liechtenstein Prince Vows to Block Abortion
- UK Faces Assisted Suicide Vote
- Australia Pushes Telehealth Euthanasia
- Pro-Life on the Home Front
- Massachusetts Removes Abortion Limits
- Pro-Lifers Press DOJ on Abortion Pills
- Abortion Movement Drops “Pro-Choice”
- Good News
- Baby Born at 23 Weeks Thrives
PRI in the Media
Fauci Vaccine Scrutiny: PRI President Steven Mosher appeared on Your News Talk America to discuss Anthony Fauci’s COVID-19 vaccine messaging and its possible effects on fertility. Mr. Mosher argued that fear surrounding the pandemic was used to promote vaccines whose risks were underestimated. He raised concerns about possible effects on the placenta and early miscarriage and argued that COVID vaccination may have contributed, in part, to the decline in fertility observed during the pandemic.
Deepening Depopulation
The Atlantic Questions Siblings: A new Atlantic article pushes back against the common belief that giving a child a sibling is a good thing. Writer Amanda Ruggeri highlights traumatic births, financial costs, and the possibility of strained sibling relationships as reasons parents may be better off having only one child. At a time of collapsing fertility, the article presents larger families as potentially burdensome while questioning the value siblings can bring to children and families.
“Normal people believe that siblings are a good thing but columnist Amanda Ruggeri strongly disagreed,” said Mr. Mosher. “This is a direct attack on fertility, and it suggests that antinatalism is now the Democratic mainstream. In the overpopulation hysteria of the late twentieth century, that position was at least understandable. But in 2026, birthrates are plunging almost everywhere and the United States and most developed countries are on a path of slow or not-so-slow demographic destruction.”
Koreans Less Alarmed by Birthrate: Concern over South Korea’s low birthrate has declined, with 70% of Koreans calling it a serious problem, down from 79% last year. Financial pressures remain major obstacles to family formation: 48% cited the cost of raising and educating children, 43% blamed housing costs, and 34% pointed to employment instability. Meanwhile, 55% said society pressures married couples to have children.
Finland’s Cohabitation Reform Hurt Fertility: New research suggests Finland’s 2011 law granting greater financial rights to cohabiting couples has weakened marriage, relationships, and fertility. By 2018, women’s first-marriage rate was estimated to be 23% lower than without the reform, while two-adult households fell 13% below projections. Finland’s fertility rate was also an estimated 21% lower. Researchers warn similar reforms now being considered in Britain could produce the same consequences.
“Cohabitation always reduces birth rates,” says Mr. Mosher. “Who wants to embark on the 20-year journey of raising a child with someone who may walk out the door at any moment?”
Vietnam Tries to Reverse Birth Decline: Vietnam is scrambling to boost births as its fertility rate falls to just 1.9 children per woman. For more than 40 years, the government sought to limit population growth through a two-child policy, which was finally lifted in June 2025. Now, with more than 100 million people but a rapidly aging population, Vietnam fears future labor shortages and is encouraging larger families in an effort to reverse the damage their two-child policy caused.
Science Gone Mad
Frozen Embryos Dominate IVF: IVF clinics in Australia and New Zealand are increasingly freezing human embryos rather than immediately transferring them. Around 70% of embryo transfers now involve frozen embryos, while 44.5% of fresh IVF cycles in 2024 resulted in all eggs or embryos being frozen for later use. Nearly 114,000 IVF cycles produced 20,918 babies that year, highlighting the vast scale of an industry that routinely creates and cryopreserves human embryos like products.
To read more about the truth behind the IVF industry, click here.
Pro-Life Around the World
Irish Women Seek Post-Abortion Counseling: More than 100 women accessed state-funded post-abortion counseling in Ireland during the first three months of 2026, including 46 new clients. In 2025, 293 new clients sought counseling, while 468 total counseling contacts were recorded. Pro-life advocates argue that the figures highlight abortion’s emotional toll and the need to support women before they decide to undergo abortions.
Liechtenstein Prince Vows to Block Abortion: Liechtenstein’s Hereditary Prince Alois has vowed to veto efforts to legalize abortion through the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Abortion is currently permitted only in cases of sexual assault or in rare cases where the mother’s health is in jeopardy. A citizen initiative is gathering signatures for a referendum to expand abortion access, but Prince Alois, who holds constitutional veto power, announced that he would block the measure if approved.
UK Faces Assisted Suicide Vote: Britain’s Parliament is set to vote September 11th on legislation that would legalize assisted suicide for terminally ill adults in England and Wales. Ahead of the vote, Prime Minister Andy Burnham has called for major reforms to Britain’s struggling social and palliative care systems, arguing they should be properly funded to prevent people turning to assisted suicide. Catholic bishops and disability-rights advocates are urging lawmakers to reject the bill and prioritize compassionate end-of-life care.
Australia Pushes Telehealth Euthanasia: Australia’s Labor Party has backed changing federal law to allow assisted-suicide consultations through telehealth, eliminating the current requirement for face-to-face consultations. Doctors currently face fines of up to $300,000 for using telehealth for such consultations. Even Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who supports assisted dying, has opposed the change, arguing that in-person safeguards are necessary. Pro-life advocates warn the proposal could further endanger vulnerable patients.
Pro-Life on the Home Front
Massachusetts Removes Abortion Limits: Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey signed legislation removing the state’s 24-week gestational limit on abortion, allowing abortions later in pregnancy at a doctor’s discretion. The law, which takes effect in 90 days, makes Massachusetts the 10th state to eliminate gestational age limits on abortion, along with Washington, D.C. Pro-life leaders condemned the measure, warning it will further expand late-term abortions in the state.
“Aborting a baby weeks, days, or even hours before it is born is now legal in Massachusetts,” says Mr. Mosher. “Witnessing such late-term abortions in China years ago, I thought to myself this could never happen in America. But it does.”
Pro-Lifers Press DOJ on Abortion Pills: Thirty-five pro-life organizations are urging newly confirmed Attorney General Todd Blanche to follow through on his pledge to review Biden-era policy allowing abortion pills to be shipped by mail. The groups want the DOJ to reconsider a 2022 opinion limiting enforcement of the Comstock Act. Blanche previously said the Trump administration was developing policies to prevent states and organizations from undermining pro-life state laws through mail-order abortion drugs.
Abortion Movement Drops “Pro-Choice”: Abortion advocates are increasingly abandoning the “pro-choice” label in favor of terms like “reproductive freedom,” arguing that the old language can imply abortion itself is something negative. A new commentary demonstrates that this reflects a broader effort to normalize and even celebrate abortion. The article points to California’s prosecution of organizations promoting abortion pill reversal as evidence that the supposed commitment to “choice” increasingly excludes choosing life.
Good News
Baby Born at 23 Weeks Thrives: Baby Phillip has finally gone home after spending the first 196 days of his life in the NICU. Born at just 23 weeks gestation weighing only one pound and six ounces, Phillip underwent two procedures and overcame “extraordinary odds.” He left the hospital about twelve pounds heavier and without needing supplemental oxygen. His remarkable story demonstrates the resilience of premature babies when given lifesaving medical care.
Quote of the Week
“A nation that despises life, weakens motherhood, relativizes the education of children, and reduces sexuality to consumption cannot build sustainable development.”
~ Carlos Polo, Director, PRI Latin American Office
