Fr. Vincent Serpa, is fornication really not against natural law?

[crenfro]

Fr. Serpa,

In one of the discussion threads, someone stated that fornication is NOT intrinsically disordered because it isn’t contrary to natural law.

What would you say if you heard this statement?

God bless you for all you do.

 

[Fr.Vincent_Serpa]

Hi,

Funny thing: St. Thomas Aquinas disagrees and does, in fact, consider fornication to be against natural law. St. Thomas writes: “I answer that, As stated above (A[1]), an action is said to be against the natural law, if it is not in keeping with the due end intended by nature’’…to that end. Now the end which nature intends in sexual union is the begetting and rearing of the offspring. and that this good might be sought after, it attached pleasure to the union; as Augustine says (De Nup. et Concup. i, 8). Accordingly to make use of sexual intercourse on account of its inherent pleasure, without reference to the end for which nature intended it, is to act against nature, as also is it if the intercourse be not such as may fittingly be directed to that end.’

ccel.org/ccel/aquinas/summa.XP_Q65_A3.html

Fr. Vincent Serpa, O.P.