Hysterectomies vs. Impotence?

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I was wondering if someone could help me out with this question.

A sacramental marriage is intended to be faithful, lifelong, and, God-willing, fruitful. A woman past childbearing age is eligable for marriage, as is a women who has undergone a hysterectomy. However, a man with impotence cannot enter a sacramental marriage.

I need help understanding why this is, so I can accuately explain it to non-Catholic friends and family.

I understand that not everyone is called to marriage. I understand that marriage is not our “right”. I even understand how, in the two cases involving women, marriage could still be allowed- i.e. God opened Sarah’s womb when she was far past childbearing age, and He caused a Virgin to become pregnant, so why would it be a stretch to imagine he could restore a women’s womb? But the same question remains for me in regards to the men.

If someone could explain the reasoning behind the Church’s teaching on this subject I would be grateful.

I’m sure there’s something obvious I’m missing here.

Thanks,
Cari
 
The key is that the couple are capable of consummating the marriage, through marital intercourse. A hysterectomy does not prevent a woman from doing that. Impotence would however, prevent a man from consummating the marriage with his wife.

I suspect that this is an impediment which is rarely invoked. Temporary medical conditions would not impede a marriage. And of course, there are many medical treatments for impotence. As I understand it, only permanent and irreversible impotence would constitute an impediment to marriage.

In essence, a couple being married promise their bodies exclusively to each other. One is not allowed to promise what one cannot deliver.
 
There is confusion because often people use words that are not clearly define growing up.

Sterility is not an impediment to a regular marriage. Not being able perform the marital act (impotence) is.

If a woman has a hysterectomy, she can still carry out the marital act. If a man has his testicular cancer and has the cancer removed he can still (with or without the assistance of drugs) preform the marital act.

If a man is permanently impotent a certain key organ is not able to do what it needs to do for that act now or any time in the future. Since that act is crucial to a normal marriage then that person can not fulfill the obligations of marriage, therefore he can not promise to do something that he is incapable of doing.

This is not to be confused with someone who is only temporarily impotent or someone who can take medicine to cure impotence.

Jimmy Akin explains it better than me.
 
So does this mean that men who are in a wheelchair, with no feeling/control from the waist down, are not able to be married? To what extend can they use “implements” to consummate? Especially if mere drugs wouldn’t do the trick.
 
Thomas1997 said:
So does this mean that men who are in a wheelchair, with no feeling/control from the waist down, are not able to be married? To what extend can they use “implements” to consummate? Especially if mere drugs wouldn’t do the trick.
Click to expand...
Hmm, I think that’s beyond my competence to answer. Maybe you should post it on Ask an Apologist.
 
Cari said:
I was wondering if someone could help me out with this question.

A sacramental marriage is intended to be faithful, lifelong, and, God-willing, fruitful. A woman past childbearing age is eligable for marriage, as is a women who has undergone a hysterectomy. However, a man with impotence cannot enter a sacramental marriage.
Click to expand...
Impotence is the inability to have intercourse. The marriage cannot be consumated, therefore there is a canonical impediment to attempting to enter a marriage when the impotence is known.

Hysterectomy does not prevent consumation. An infertile couple can still have intercourse. Each act of completed intercourse, by definition, preserve both the unitive and procreative elements whether conception occurs subjectively or not.
 
Thank you all! I feel like I can explain this to people who ask about it now. It’s important for me to be able to articulate the Church’s teachings on topics like this.

Cheers,
Cari
 
The explanations having been given, the thread is now closed. Many thanks to those who contributed to the discussion.
 
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