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]
In the mid-1990s, Jennifer Gonnerman described HLI's anti-abortion campaign as more influential than that of the Operation Save America.[15] In 1997, Human Life International supported the founding of the Center for Family and Human Rights.[16][17] The group is affiliated with the Population Research Institute.[17] From 2000 to 2014, the group used $7.9 million for anti-abortion causes.[2]
Shenan J. Boquet became president of HLI in November 2011.[5]
...Human Life International, a U.S.-based anti-abortion group.
...Human Life International (HLI), a Catholic not-for-profit group from Virginia...
...Human Life International which is the only pro-life group in Ireland that explicitly opposes contraception...
...Human Life International, which also supported Uganda's far-reaching criminalization of gay people...