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.

Visualizing Abortion Statistics: Who’s Being Killed and Why?

By Brian Clowes, PhD / June 14, 2023 /
cemetery crosses

No battle is richer in imagery than the struggle over abortion. We have seen everything from coat hangers to roses, ultrasound photos of preborn babies, faked photos of women killed by illegal abortions, panel trucks with giant bloody aborted-baby pictures on them, and NARAL’s “Silent No More” debacle, where weeping women described in great detail…

Read More

The Ethics of Surrogacy

By Brian Clowes, PhD and Marisa Cantu / June 5, 2023 /
surrogacy arrangement surrogate mother

In essence, [surrogacy] is the ultimate manifestation of the neoliberal project of capitalist commodification of all life to create profit and fulfill the narcissistic desires of an entitled elite. ~Kathleen Sloan, director of the Connecticut chapter of the National Organization for Women.1   What Is Surrogacy? Surrogate motherhood is the oldest form of assisted reproduction.…

Read More

Is There Aborted Fetal Tissue in Cosmetics?

By Brian Clowes, PhD and Marisa Cantu / June 1, 2023 /
womens cosmetics makeup bag

From time to time, we hear stories alleging that American abortion mills are selling aborted babies to major cosmetic companies so that they may be “rendered” for their collagen. Human Life International’s free e-book Which Cosmetics Use Fetal Cells? explains how widespread this problem is, and which beauty products are involved. You can download it…

Read More

Does Abortion Reduce Crime?

By Brian Clowes, PhD / May 26, 2023 /
criminal standing trial stock photo

Research shows that abortion and crime rates are related. The question is whether they are directly linked. One study claimed that legalizing abortion increased murder rates by up to 7%. This is because legalizing abortion is a contributing factor to the great increase in out-of-wedlock births and single parent families, which in turn contribute to…

Read More

What You Should Know About Medical Abortion – the RU-486 Pill

By Brian Clowes, PhD and Marisa Cantu / May 2, 2023 /
abortion pills with ultrasound

Half a century ago, researchers who worked for the pharmaceutical corporations valued the lives of preborn children. These scientists worked hard to avoid injuring them as they developed new drugs for a wide variety of purposes. But times have radically changed. Big Pharma now spends millions of dollars annually specifically for the purpose of developing…

Read More

The Fractured History of the Hemlock Society

By Brian Clowes, PhD and Marisa Cantu / April 21, 2023 /
hemlock poisonous flower

A judicial determination should be made when it is necessary to hasten the death of an individual, whether it be a demented parent, a suffering, severely disabled spouse or a child. ~ Former Hemlock Society Executive Director Faye Girsh.1   British journalist Derek Humphry had a bit of a problem on his hands in early…

Read More

Is Abortion a Constitutional Right?

By Brian Clowes, PhD and Marisa Cantu / April 19, 2023 /

Abortion is not a constitutional right according to a direct reading of the text of the Constitution – abortion is never mentioned in the Constitution – and according to the recent ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson by the Supreme Court. In the past, progressives justified the alleged Constitutional under the Fourth Amendment’s protection of privacy,…

Read More

Is Being Pro-Life Racist?

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

There’s a longstanding discussion over racism in healthcare. The debate is all the more heated when it comes to abortion. Ever since the battle over abortion began, pro-lifers and “pro-choicers” have accused each other of racism against people of color. For example, Brian Fung of The Atlantic claimed in August of 2012 that any abortion…

Read More

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