Ave Maria University recently hosted – for the first time in it’s history – a head of state from a foreign country: Katalin Novak, the president of Hungary, who is often decried in major media as racist, homophobic, Islamophobic, anti-immigration, and just about every other label that a pro-life, pro-family, patriotic Christian earns these days. She was born in Hungary under a Communist dictatorship, so she knows the value of freedom and what it takes for a government to maintain and defend the freedom of its citizens.
Her country has banned so-called homosexual marriage and does not allow homosexuals to adopt children. The government encourages large families by granting tax breaks and student loan forgiveness for couples who have children. Novak supports persecuted Christians around the world despite pushback against those who shine the light on the fact that globally, Christians are the most persecuted sect.
It’s important for governments to support pro-family policies like this in order to actually protect their country’s existence. United Nations statistics prove the painful reality that fertility rates in developed countries are woefully below replacement rates. Ten years ago Hungary’s fertility rate was 1.2; today, thanks to pro-family laws, it is up to 1.6. While still below replacement, it makes Hungary one of the only countries on the upward trend. Additionally, Hungary’s marriage rates have doubled, and abortion rates have fallen by one-third.
Chiara Mosher is the new Media Specialist with the Population Research Institute (PRI), a well-known pro-life advocacy organization that works to expose the myth of overpopulation. Mosher is newly graduated with a Bachelor degree in psychology from Florida’s Ave Maria University, a private Roman Catholic school that this year celebrates the 20th anniversary of its founding.
Other links:
PRI’s “Pop 101” educational series
President Novak’s presentation at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio
