About the Author

Brian Clowes, PhD

Dr. Brian Clowes has been HLI’s director of research since 1995 and is one of the most accomplished and respected intellectuals in the international pro-life movement. Best known as author of the most exhaustive pro-life informational resource volume The Facts of Life, and for his Pro-Life Basic Training Course, Brian is the author of nine books and over 500 scholarly and popular articles, and has traveled to 70 countries on six continents as a pro-life speaker, educator and trainer.

6 Types of Euthanasia: Is It Ever Justified?

By Brian Clowes, PhD and Marisa Cantu / April 15, 2023 /

The term “euthanasia” means any action committed or omitted for the purpose of causing or hastening the death of a human being after birth. It is usually done for the alleged purpose of ending the person’s suffering.  The word is derived from two Greek words: “Eu,” meaning “easy,” and “thanos,” which means “death.” The Vatican’s Declaration…

Read More

Does Abortion Really Incur Excommunication?

By Brian Clowes, PhD and Sarah Reusch, MA / October 7, 2022 /
catholic church germany Mass

What Is Excommunication? Excommunication is a sanction that deprives a Catholic of all participation in the common blessings of the society of the Church.1 It is the most serious penalty the Church can inflict and is used only in the most severe cases. The excommunicated person remains a Catholic because his baptism cannot be nullified,…

Read More

How Rich is the Pro-Life Movement?

By Brian Clowes, PhD / March 23, 2022 /
money

The Baseless Propaganda For decades, pro-abortionists have painted pro-lifers as a bunch of cruel, rich old white men intent upon controlling women’s bodies and lives (read or watch The Handmaid’s Tale for their depressing version of reality). Their websites and blogs repeat endlessly what Anne Nicol Gaylor alleged in her bizarre 1975 propaganda book Abortion…

Read More

Can a Catholic Use Birth Control for Health Reasons?

By Brian Clowes, PhD / March 11, 2022 /

The moral doctrine of the Church judges human behavior but is silent on chemical compounds. Most people do not know that it is permissible for Catholic women to use the birth control pill under carefully defined conditions when the intent is not to impair their fertility. Sometimes a young woman will take the Pill for…

Read More

Is AIDS a “Gay” Disease?

By Brian Clowes, PhD / March 9, 2022 /
3d illustration of HIV virus. Medical concept.

“HIV is a gay disease.” This is a myth that refuses to die. Misinformation, fear, ignorance and media sensationalism continue to fuel this myth in America. For every one person like me trying to tell the truth about HIV transmission, there seems to be a dozen shrieking, simpleminded, natural-born dullards with a staggering inability to…

Read More

How Many People are Homosexuals?

By Brian Clowes, PhD / February 2, 2022 /
silhouettes crowd of people with question marks

Homosexuality is one in 10. It’s one in 10 on the football team. It’s one in 10 on the baseball team. It’s one in 10 on the softball team. It’s one in 10 on the basketball team. Those are facts. ~Homosexual activist Pat Griffin1   One of the most persuasive arguments that homosexual activists use…

Read More

Does Abortion Reduce Welfare Costs?

By Brian Clowes, PhD / January 12, 2022 /
poor man's hands

Supporters of abortion tend to lack foresight and misunderstand human nature. These defects inevitably lead to many cases of the “law of unintended consequences.” One example of this lack of foresight is the claim that when the government pays for a poor woman’s abortion, it saves money by avoiding delivery and welfare costs. In fact,…

Read More

Abortifacient Brief: The Intrauterine Device

By Brian Clowes, PhD / January 5, 2022 /

The intrauterine device (IUD) is a foreign body inserted into the uterus. IUDs are made of a non-reactive plastic such as polyethylene and may include active chemicals or elements such as progesterone or copper which slowly diffuse into the uterus over a period of several years. Human Life International has a free e-book, How Contraception Built…

Read More

What is the Role of Conscience in Moral Decision-Making?

By Brian Clowes, PhD / October 15, 2021 /
decision making; conscience

The Modern Misunderstanding of Conscience The Catholic Church teaches that the conscience is a natural facility of our reason that directs us to do good and avoid evil; that makes judgments about the good and evil of particular acts; and that bears witness after the fact to the good or evil that we have done,…

Read More

Planned Parenthood Abortion Statistics

By Brian Clowes, PhD / July 2, 2021 /

The Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) has been in the news a lot in recent years because of its many leadership problems, a large number of employees exposing its “toxic and racist work environment,” and its continuing struggle to keep a tight lid on its harvesting of preborn baby parts.1 Of course, the organization’s…

Read More