Human Life International: Its impact in the defense of life and family in America

Human Life International (HLI) is one of the largest pro-life and pro-family organizations globally, headquartered in the United States and present in more than 100 countries on six continents.

Since its founding in 1981, it has been dedicated to providing resources, training and advocacy on crucial issues such as abortion, contraception and euthanasia. This effort to promote a culture of life and family from a political and legal space has been significantly consolidated in Latin America through its representation in the Organization of American States (OAS), which began in 2012.

The presence of HLI in the OAS

Luis Martínez, director of the Human Life International Mission to the OAS since 2021, shared in an interview with ACI Prensa the scope and challenges of this mission. “We are one of the pro-life and pro-family coalitions in the OAS, and although we face many difficulties, we have managed to strengthen and grow over 12 years of work,” Martínez commented.

Since its first participation in the OAS in 2012, HLI has expanded its presence and built a robust coalition of around 60 civil society organizations from all subregions of the continent: South America, Central America, North America and the Caribbean.

“All this has been the result of 12 years. Since we first arrived at the OAS, little by little, year after year, we have gone deeper. Trying to better understand the processes. We have to adapt all the time and it has paid off. In the last four assemblies our capacity has been much more noticeable,” he said.

Growth and achievements in recent years

Martínez highlighted that HLI’s initial participation in the OAS General Assembly was limited to two people, but today they have much broader and more effective representation.

“In the last four assemblies, our capacity as a pro-life and pro-family coalition has been much more noticeable in relation to our influence in the Assembly,” he noted. Additionally, HLI’s presence has been extended to other OAS events and commissions, including the Summit of the Americas, the Inter-American Institute of Children and Adolescents (IIN), and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). .

HLI’s impact on the OAS began to be more tangible starting in 2019, when they managed to influence the drafting of paragraphs in some important resolutions.

“Starting in 2021, we begin to prepare the General Assembly a year in advance, carrying out visits and lobbying in the countries and with the embassies before the OAS,” Martínez explained. This effort allowed for greater dialogue and collaboration with OAS delegates and officials, changing the perception of HLI from a “lesser evil” to a valuable ally. “They no longer saw us as children but really saw us as allies, who could give them very deep analyzes that were helpful to them,” he added.

Goals and objectives of the organization

Human Life International has also set ambitious goals for the future. In the short term, according to Martínez, they seek to consolidate their presence in the region, expanding their coalition to countries where they do not yet have representation. “Currently, in numbers, around 123 organizations have registered in the last three years, and we want to double that number in two years,” he said.

In the medium term, they plan to expand to other OAS entities where they are not yet present, such as the Young American Business Trust (YABT) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). “We know that it will take us several years, but we are committed to these objectives,” he stressed.

The threats facing HLI

Regarding the main threats facing the organization, Martínez divides them into three categories: legal, cultural and political.

“Legally, one of the main problems we see is judicial activism that is collapsing and judicializing issues that should not be,” he warned. Culturally, she cited “apathy” and “censorship” as the biggest difficulties, pointing to a growing desensitization toward life and family issues. “Although we have had great achievements and progress, we see desensitization and apathy around these issues,” she said.

Politically, according to Martínez, changes in government and “the agendas of socialist and communist governments” represent significant challenges: “They are very clear and affect life and family,” he stated.

“If we do not see this as a cultural war, and if we do not attack and change culturally through education, training and tools, it seems to me that they will continue to destroy us politically and legally. So I would focus on this issue,” she added.

The future of HLI

Human Life International, according to Martínez, will remain committed to defending life and family, facing challenges and expanding its influence in the OAS and beyond.

“That ability to act shoulder to shoulder with the delegates of the countries and with the OAS. Some theoretically call it governance, which is that horizontality between the State and civil society. Let’s call it capacity, greater lobbying capacity, greater dialogue or significance, I think it has been key. I consider it our main achievement. It cost us a lot of work, but it has been worth it,” concluded Martínez, underlining the importance of the effort in recent years.