Human Life International (HLI) is a Roman Catholic, U.S.-based anti-abortion organization.[1][2][3] It is one of the largest anti-abortion organizations in the United States.[2] It describes itself as "the largest international pro-life organization in the world", saying that it has affiliates and associates in over 80 nations worldwide and has sent representatives to approximately 160.[4][5] The group is led by clergy.[6] It has been based in Front Royal, Virginia since 1996.[7][8]
Human Life International was established in 1981 in Gaithersburg, Maryland by Paul Marx,[9][8][10] as a continuation of the Human Life Center founded by Marx at Saint John's University, Minnesota in 1972.[5] Its mission is to train and organize anti-abortion movement leaders — priests, crisis pregnancy centers, civic leaders, radio and television programmers, and family counselors. HLI bases its activism on Catholic anti-abortion beliefs, which propose that life begins at conception.[11] The group also advocates against contraceptives.[5][12][13] It has supported the criminalization of homosexuality in Uganda.[14]
Shenan J. Boquet became president of HLI in November 2011.[5]
In 2017, The Guardian reported that several US crisis pregnancy center (CPC) and anti-abortion groups including Human Life International (HLI), have been providing money and assistance to networks of CPC's in Latin America, as well as lobbying against the liberalization of abortion laws throughout the region.[3] HLI started their network of CPC's in the region in the 1980's, with the total number of locations having increased to approximately 130 CPC's across 20 countries by 2015.[3]
^Ferris-Rotman, Amie (20 September 2018). "Putin the Pro-Choice Champion". Coda Story. Coda Media. Retrieved 26 November 2021. ...Human Life International, a U.S.-based anti-abortion group.
^ abcAlbaladejo, Angelika (2017-10-26). "US groups pour millions into anti-abortion campaign in Latin America and Caribbean". The Guardian. ISSN0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-05-20. ...Human Life International (HLI), a Catholic not-for-profit group from Virginia, ... The bulk of the US funding is being used to develop a network of "crisis pregnancy centres", which critics claim are designed to persuade women not to have terminations. The number of centres more than doubled between 2012 and 2015, to 130. HLI brought the crisis pregnancy centre model to Latin America in the 1980s and is one of the most active supporters of the anti-abortion movement in the region.