Can the surgically sterile marry?

[danimay]

Just wondering. Seems there is always someone asking about reversing vasectomies and such. The church doesn’t require that, I know, but what about marriage for the surgically sterile? Ya know, the “being open to receiving children” part. Hope this makes sense…I’m kinda in a hurry.

 

[1ke]

Can. 1084 §3. Sterility neither prohibits nor nullifies marriage, without prejudice to the prescript of ⇒ can. 1098.

Can. 1098 A person contracts invalidly who enters into a marriage deceived by malice, perpetrated to obtain consent, concerning some quality of the other partner which by its very nature can gravely disturb the partnership of conjugal life.

This means, no, sterility is not an impediment, but you must not deceive a future spouse about your fertility-- you should disclose the vasectomy to your intended.

 

[danimay]

Thanks, but I wasn’t talking about me. I’m a married mommy of 4, recovering from a c-section as we speak. Haha. I definitely haven’t had a vasectomy!

I just wondered because there seems to be a lot of talk about sterilization on here and I had just read about a man who couldn’t marry due to impotence. I wondered if sterilization had the same consequences.

 

[Em_in_FL]

Thanks, but I wasn’t talking about me. I’m a married mommy of 4, recovering from a c-section as we speak. Haha. I definitely haven’t had a vasectomy!

I just wondered because there seems to be a lot of talk about sterilization on here and I had just read about a man who couldn’t marry due to impotence. I wondered if sterilization had the same consequences.

There’s a difference between being INFERTILE and IMPOTENT…

If he were impotent then he could not fulfill the marriage act… so the marriage could not be consummated…

Infertile couples can still consummate their marriage…

HTH!

 

[Seatuck]

Marriages where at least one party is sterile must still keep the marital act open to life in form.