Dear Colleague:

Europe's demographic winter means the continent is almost lost.  But it is
not quite too late.

Steven W. Mosher
President

PRI Weekly Briefing
2 June 2006
Vol. 8 / No. 21


Europe's Demographic Winter
By Steven W. Mosher
 
We held a Family Life International conference in London on April 29th,
and followed up with an event in Dublin on May 3rd.  The theme of my
talks, appropriately enough for European audiences, was the demographic
winter that is descending upon that dying continent.  Europe, I told them,
is almost lost.
 
Great Britain has already succumbed to the deadly malaise that has gripped
postmodern, post-Christian Europe.  The birthrate is at historic lows, as
is church attendance.  Many of the children you see on the streets of
London are of Pakistani descent.  The government long ago began
jettisoning its own faith traditions, a process by now so far advanced
that the display of England's centuries-long battle standard-the red cross
of St. George on a field of white-is discouraged, lest the large and
growing population of Muslim immigrants be offended.  This is not only
multi-culturalism run amok; it is proof positive that the "God-is-dead"
types now run the place.  To put it another way, St. George may have long
ago defeated the dragon, but the wily old serpent has come roaring back in
our day.
 
Yet more proof of pagan rule is that the U.K. has abortion-on-demand up to
24 weeks gestation.  Labor Prime Minister Tony Blair-the father of four
children-takes the "personally opposed, but." line popularized by former
New York Governor Mario Cuomo.  He claims to abhor abortion, but at the
same time does nothing to stop even late second-trimester killings.
Thanks to medical advances, babies now reach viability earlier than ever
before.  Premature babies born at six months routinely survive in neonatal
intensive care units.  For this reason, some in the U.K. last year
proposed banning all abortions after 20 weeks.  Blair sat out this debate
in silence, and in the end the current law remained unchanged.
 
Against this riptide of death, our affiliate in the U.K., headed by the
indomitable Greg Clovis, is fighting a courageous rear-guard action.
Through conferences and seminars, publications and DVD presentations, Greg
and his able staff work ceaselessly to promote the Culture of Life.  This
"reverse missionary"-he was born in the former British colony of St. Lucia
in the West Indies-has given dozens of talks on NFP throughout the U.K.,
urging young couples to be open to children.  He has also sponsored
educational campaigns across England.  It is difficult to say how many
babies owe their existence to Greg's efforts, but the number is surely in
the thousands, if not tens of thousands.
 
Venturing across the Irish Sea to the Emerald Isle, we find ourselves in a
happier state than "merry olde England."  Along with Poland and one or two
other European countries, Ireland has to some extent maintained her robust
traditional faith and strong families.  True, her birthrate has fallen
slightly below replacement in recent years, but it has not fallen so far
that a springtime of new births is impossible, as it is in many other
European countries.
 
Nor has Ireland entirely given in to the secularists.  Abortion remains
illegal, for example.  It is a national tragedy that an estimated 7,000
Irish girls travel to the U.K. each year for abortions but, even so, the
abortion rate remains far lower than in other European countries.
Ireland's pro-lifers, led by Patrick Buckley of the European Life Network,
are working hard to lower the number further.
 
Ireland has saved Europe before.  After the fall of the Western Roman
Empire, it was Irish monks, enormously learned in the Scriptures, who
preserved the writings and the witness of the early Church Fathers, along
with the best of the classical writers.  Today, it is likely that she will
save it again, if anyone can.  It is above all Irish pro-lifers who are
resisting pressure from the Eurocrats in Brussels to abandon faith,
family, and tradition for a Brave New World of immorality, decay and
death.
 
Much is at stake.  For as Europe goes, so goes much of the world. 

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