If spouse has illness is contraception a sin?

[Red79]

My fiancee’ and I have been talking greatly about Natural Family Planning and marriage. We desire to use the approved Church method, but my future wife suffers from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and fears that having too many kids may result in her developing lupus and dying, which would not be good for the family as a whole.

Is Natural Family Planning still a viable option for a married couple when one of the partners is sick or is contraception allowed in special cases? If not, then must we live a married life of celebicy or constantly risk the possibility of having more children than it is physically possible for my other to withstand?

Thanks.

 

[Jim_Blackburn]

Artificial contraception is intrinsically evil (cf. Catechism, 2370). As such, it is never a moral option.

If pregnancy becomes a grave issue to your future wife and family, then you will certainly have moral grounds for avoiding it at that time. But that will not permit the use of immoral means.

Some methods of Natural Family Planning (NFP) have been proven to be 99% effective. Contact the Couple to Couple League for more information.

If your situation becomes such that absolutely no risk of pregnancy is acceptable, then abstinence will be your only moral option.

See also:
What are acceptable reasons for avoiding pregnancy?
Why is contraception wrong?
What is the moral difference between contraception by artificial means and NFP?