What would happen in the case of a couple who against the wishes of the other becomes sterilized or years later one or both of them realizes their sin and truly confesses, must they seperate or abstain for life? Unlike a pill or IUD-chances of reversal are slim and expensive.
First off, let us distinguish contraception from abortion. Contraception is preventing the conception of a child. Abortion is killing the child that is already conceived. Some methods of “birth control” are contraceptive (such as sterilization), abortive (such as the morning after pill) or both (such as the birth control pill).
Mutilation of the body to achieve sterilzation in order to prevent children in a grave sin because it is contraception. Now, physical sterility isn’t an absolute evil (for the Catechism):
2379 The Gospel shows that physical sterility is not an absolute evil. Spouses who still suffer from infertility after exhausting legitimate medical procedures should unite themselves with the Lord’s Cross, the source of all spiritual fecundity. They can give expression to their generosity by adopting abandoned children or performing demanding services for others.
The evil would be in the act of mutilating your body in order to achieve sterilization. Now, a surgery such as a hysterectomy which renders one sterile may or may not be morally licit. If a hysterectomy is done to save one’s life, it it licit as long the the sterile effect isn’t intended but merely permitted. However, a hysterectomy would be gravely sinful if the intent is to render the woman sterile.
When someone confesses the sin of mutilation of their body in order to achieve sterilzation their sin is forgiven if their intent is to mend their ways. From that confession on they must be open to children.
So, the person from that confession on must treat their sterility the same as a person who is sterile by no fault of their own. They should seek to be open to children by seeing if there is anyway to correct their sterility and take into account the cost/burden of it.
For example, if that person simply became sterile by flipping a switch off then they would be required to switch that flip back on. If however, to flip that switch on they were required to pay a certain amount of money and suffer certain burdens then they
may not be required to depending on the amount of money and burdens.
Let me try another example. A thief steals $100,000 and confesses it. For his confession to be valid he must have a firm intent never to steal again and make restitution. He cannot simply confess the sin and then keep the money. He must do whatever possible to make restitution for his sin.
The sterile person cannot simply accept their sterility and not try to do anything to correct it.
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) Adoption is at least as expensive and difficult to use to achieve a child as a reversal. Of course, it is always an option for anyone wanting a child.