My husband wants to have sex, but doesn't want more children? We have one child. Is it wrong for me not to have sex with him according to the catholic teaching?

-- GENNY PELLEGRINO (pellegrino01@comcast.net), March 01, 2005

Answers

You should not refuse to have sexual intercourse with your husband. You should refuse to be sterilized or to use any method of contraception. This is your right and your duty.

If you and your husband have just reasons for delaying, or not wanting any more, children you should use Natural Family Planning (i.e. abstain from intercourse during the few days each month when conception is possible). NFP is just as effective as most methods of contraception, and more effective than condoms.

If your husband wants to have himself sterilized, you should try to dissuade him and pray for him, but if he goes ahead with it anyway, you should still have sexual intercourse with him.

-- Steve (55555@aol.com), March 02, 2005.

"NFP is just as effective as most methods of contraception"

[it isn't always effective,it has it's risks also...]-sdqa

-- sdqa (sdqa@sdqa.Com), March 02, 2005.

"NFP is just as effective as most methods of contraception" [it isn't always effective,it has it's risks also...]-sdqa

Exactly, but it IS just as effective as MOST methods of contraception. Basically the only ones that are significantly more effective are the permanent ones like vasectomies.

-- Tim K. (tk4386@juno.com), March 02, 2005.

You should not refuse to have sexual intercourse with your husband.

Sorry , I don't understand this ??

Salute & Cheers from a NON BELIEVER:

-- Laurent LUG (.@...), March 02, 2005.

SDQA, you are either a monstrous liar or an ignorant nincompoop!

Catholics LOVE to have fun and the Church approves of all kinds of fun that are not sinful and that are engaged in with moderation.

We drink alcohol and gamble in moderation, while some Christians and non-Christians (such as Mormons) forbid doing one or both of those. We greatly enjoy intercourse (within marriage, where it belongs). We enjoy good food and theatre and literature and music and so many other things. WE HAVE TONS OF FUN!

Were you really ignorant of all these things, SDQA, or were you simply lying about Catholics to the immoral twit named "habby"?

-- (a@ok.com), March 02, 2005.

The Church teaches that marital sexual union has two essential and equally important purposes - unitive and procreative. A sexual relationship which excludes either of these essential aspects is defective, and ultimately harmful to those who practice it. While your husband's rejection of one of these purposes may constitute a defect, and be a source of damage to your marriage, it is not a just reason to withhold relations altogether, thereby denying the unitive aspect of sexual love as well, and its benefits to your marriage. I realize that the unitive aspect may well be suffering as a result of his rejection of the procreative aspect, and as a result you may not find relations to be truly unitive. That's a separate issue which you will have to deal with, possibly with the assistence of a good Catholic counselor.

-- Paul M. (PaulCyp@cox.net), March 02, 2005.

Both Steve and Paul M. have given excellent answers. Continue with your husband, but practice NFP.

-- Fr. Paul (pjdoucet@hotmail.com), March 02, 2005.

“NFP …has it's risks also”(sdqa) The ONLY “risk” is that conception may occur (with about the same probability as most forms of contraception). But all forms of contraception have the ADDITIONAL and REAL risks of damage to the physical, psychological and spiritual health of the people using them. NFP is the ONLY form of family planning which has NONE of these risks.

-- Steve (55555@aol.com), March 03, 2005.