CHARLESTON—Father Matthew Habiger, OSB, kicked off the 40 Days for Life vigil for the Lowcountry Sept. 24 across from The Charleston Women’s Medical Center on Ashley River Road.
The Benedictine is a frequent host and guest on EWTN. He spoke about the contraceptive pill, which he referred to as the root cause of the culture of death.
He told the group of attendees that those who benefit from the multi-million dollar contraceptive pill are pharmaceutical companies and Planned Parenthood, describing that as a conflict of interest that can’t be unbiased.
“Fertility is not a bodily defect that must be corrected,” he said. “The pill separates fertility from sex, so that one can pursue sexual pleasure without responsibility of a pregnancy. Sex was designed by God to be love giving and life giving … The total gift of self, of heart, mind, body. In the spousal act, there are no conditions, no reservations, nothing held back. Total self-surrender, but with the pill, all is reduced to recreational sex.”
Father Habiger said contraception is considered a remedy but it leads to more promiscuous sex, and this in turn leads to abortion.
“Recreational sex has only two considerations: don’t get pregnant and don’t catch a socially transmitted disease,” he said. “If sex is solely for pleasure, then why save sex for marriage? A promiscuous person is not preparing himself or herself for marriage — no commitment. Contraception affects the individual, the couple and the family. With sterile sex there is no consideration for the individual or the meaning of family.”
Father Habiger is a member of the Natural Family Planning Outreach Team. NFP Outreach is a clearinghouse for information on the practice, its effectiveness, benefits and underlying moral principles.
He is the former president of Human Life International, an ecumenical and educational apostolate devoted to train, organize and equip pro-life leaders around the world. Their mission is to create effective opposition to the culture of death around the world.
Father Habiger was ordained in 1968 and holds a doctorate in moral theology. He has served as a pastor and university chaplain, is a contributor to Curing World Poverty and a recipient of the Center for Economic Social Justice’s Soldier of Justice Award.
The 40 Days for Life vigils are taking place in Charleston, Columbia and Greenville.
For more information on local events, visit www.40daysforlife.com.