Vida Humana Internacional, HLI's Hispanic Division, has been spreading the Culture of Life on a number of different fronts recently. Be it via radio, television or through educational booths, VHI has made significant achievements in the pro-life fight. The following highlights some of our most recent work:

On 26-28 July 2001, VHI met with leaders from Latin America during a conference in Miami organized by The Abstinence Clearinghouse (TAC). The subject of the meetings was the promotion of chastity education, as the only alternative where it concerns hedonistic sex "education" programs. Most probably these discussions will influence new strategies in the education of adolescents and children. VHI, representing HLI, also had an exhibit where it offered its educational resources and distributed samples of materials in English and Spanish. In a message to participants, President Bush said that "abstinence is the only effective and infallible way to eliminate the risk of HIV infection, sexually transmitted diseases and unexpected pregnancies. Abstinence not only means saying ‘no', it also implies saying ‘yes' to a healthier and happier future. Abstinence is 100% safe, 100% effective, a 100% of the time."

Christian chastity is a very rich concept related to charity. It is a true social virtue for respect and human love that prepares the young for marriage as well as celibacy. It benefits natural family planning, because conjugal relations are not falsified by artificial contraception, and allows the couple to space the number of children they can educate, keeping both open to the gift of a new child.

VHI also participated with an exhibit in the conference: "The Family: Hope of Humanity", organized by the National Association of Catholic Home Educators (NACHE), which also took place in Miami. Kimberly Hahn, who has given talks at HLI's conferences, was among the speakers at this home-schooling gathering. VHI and NACHE share common goals, mainly that parents are the best educators of their children. Home schooling becomes popular in a society in which corruption gets into educational institutions, where the use of Internet without controls, the access to drugs and sexual liberalism have corrupted both academic and moral teaching.

Recently, Adolfo J. Castañeda , VHI's Director of Educational Programs, took part in a radio program about in vitro fertilization , human cloning and embryo experimentation in the local Spanish-speaking station WQBA. Adolfo clearly defended the intrinsic worth of each human life since the moment of conception and exposed the evil of all these techniques. The reaction from both the audience and the other participants was very positive.

Adolfo was also invited to "America en Vivo", a Spanish live cable TV program that is broadcasted all over Latin America and parts of the U.S. The subject was pornography. Some of the participants, although they're against child pornography, could not see the evil of all types of pornography nor the connection between them all. Adolfo not only explained that so-called "soft" pornography itself is a gravely evil, but also that it leads to hard core and child pornography. He also explained the beauty of God's plan for human sexuality within the context of a married love that is open to life.

VHI also collaborated in the accomplishment of a recent pro-life victory: the prohibition of so called "emergency contraception" by the Supreme Court of Chile because of its abortifacient nature. The Chilean Constitution protects the right to life from conception and thus the Chilean laws ban all types of abortions. VHI supplied critically important information about the abortifacient effect of all methods of the euphemistically called "emergency contraception", among which is the "morning after pill". This helped the pro-life groups in Chile defeat a previous approval of this baby killer in this South American country and influenced its Supreme Court decision. Said decision will most probably have repercussions all over Latin America.

Our executive director, Mrs.Magaly Llaguno, was interviewed by the archdiocesan newspaper The Florida Catholic (Miami edition, August 23, 2001). A one and a half page spread was done on HLI/VHI and Mrs. Llaguno by the editor, Mr. Robert O'Steen. VHI is very grateful for the publication of those two excellent articles titled "Stem Cells? Not to Save Her Life" and "HLI:Founded to Oppose the Tide", which included pictures of Mrs. Llaguno and Jacqui Debs at our Miami office. Jacqui is VHI's Coordinator for the Hispanic countries.

The above activities are samples of the work that VHI – HLI's Hispanic Division - carries out every month from its Miami office.

VHI wants to express its gratitude to all the readers of HLI Reports and its benefactors. Without your generosity we would not have been able to accomplish any of the above. Please continue to support HLI/VHI with your donations and prayers. God bless you.