HLA has published 20 different pro-life publications, with more than 31 million copies in circulation in 55 countries, since 1991.

“A large part of our mission is targeting populations most at risk for abortion, namely teens and young adults. A majority of people have little or no education on life issues—especially abortion,” said Jo Tolck, HLA executive director.

Tolck believes many abortions take place because people don’t fully understand the consequences of their actions.

“Some still believe the unborn baby is just a blob of cells. Showing pictures of the developing unborn child and explaining the gruesome reality of abortion is the only way to dispel that myth,” Tolck said.


In the beginning
Officially founded on April 2, 1977, HLA’s roots date back to the late ’60s when a group of local volunteers began lobbying state and federal government officials to oppose the “mounting threat” of legalized abortion. After the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973, the group’s Minnesota-based founders worked to nullify the ruling.

“By 1976, 57 of the original 60 founders became convinced that lobbying alone would not beat this new ‘choice’ rhetoric driven into our country’s consciousness,” Tolck said. “So, it was decided that the pro-life movement needed to counter this all-American sounding ‘choice’ rhetoric by focusing on a much broader educational effort.”

In 1990, the HLA board of directors decided to “try and beat pop culture’s stranglehold on the news media” by buying advertising space in major newspapers. The organization’s first pro-life supplement, “She’s a Child, Not a ‘Choice,’” was inserted in the St. Paul Pioneer Press, the Rochester Post Bulletin, the Duluth News Tribune and the Saint Cloud Times. A few months later, the publication was inserted in the Star Tribune and other daily and weekly newspapers in the state.

“She’s a Child, Not a ‘Choice’” was designed to “proclaim the humanity of the pre-born child” and featured a full-color layout of in utero child development. In 1994, HLA and Pro-Life Action Ministries teamed up to have the publication mailed to 1 million Twin Cities residents.

“HLA’s groundbreaking supplements have taken on a variety of forms over the past 16 years but had a powerful impact,” Tolck said. “One early distribution on a California campus prompted calls from a local crisis pregnancy center telling us of four young women who had decided to keep their babies after reading [the insert].”

As demand for the publication grew on campuses nationwide, HLA redesigned the supplement in 1999 for use almost exclusively at schools. The pro-life campus supplement has since been renamed and redesigned several times, with the latest version called “Trapped.”


Expansion
HLA has also expanded the pro-life issues it addresses with the addition of several other resource guides and supplements.

“Euthanasia: Imposed Death” is a 16-page supplement dealing with misunderstandings associated with living wills and end of life decisions.

HLA published its first abstinence magazine for teens and adolescents in the spring of 2005. “Just for Girls/Just for Guys” is designed to address issues teens face in their fight to remain chaste.

“Promiscuity is the root cause of abortion. By helping teens live pure and save sex for marriage, they avoid the situation of getting pregnant and seeking abortion,” Tolck said. “Reaching teens before they become sexually active can save them the pain of unplanned pregnancy, STDs and emotional heartache.”

The 2008/09 edition of “Just for Girls/Just for Guys” will be released in February 2008.

“With scientifically sound articles and a cutting-edge look, we are eager to see the impact this magazine will have on our teen culture,” Tolck said.

To mark the 15th anniversary of its first publication, HLA created “Life Begins: An Amazing Adventure” in 2007 to teach grade school children about the “humanity of the pre-born child.”

The pro-life organization has also customized a Spanish language publication to be distributed in Peru, and is developing a new publication to address abortion in the African-American community.

HLA materials are intentionally presented with secular sources, but Tolck says the staff at HLA “certainly knows where our strength comes from.”

The group accepts volunteers for tasks ranging from stuffing envelopes to serving on the board.

The group also has internships available for high school and college students in public relations, graphic design and journalism.

“First and foremost, we need prayer,” Tolck said. “Ultimately, we wage a spiritual battle for the hearts and minds of all people.”


ACTION POINT:
For more information about Human Life Alliance, or to donate online, visit www.humanlife.org. To reach HLA by phone, call (651) 484-1040.