Is there ever a circumstance where condom use is acceptable?

[Paddy1989]

… Probably because they understand that the written law is not to be valued more than the human person herself. A very common sense, humane, logical way of thinking.

You are welcome, and good luck with whatever you ultimately decide to do.

God bless.

Church teaching FULLY values the human person so much so that it doesn’t allow the Natural purpose of Sex (unitive and procreative) aspect ever to be divided and therefore distorted. Contraception is NOT consistent with Catholicism

 

[catholicgirl08]

Hi!

I would listen to the four priests and not worry! I am positive you can use birth control for a medical reason which is probably why the priests told you it was ok.

 

[billboyzmom]

Yes.I know it is hard to believe, but it is what happened. Perhaps they were just focusing on my circumstances and not the fact that I was using condoms…I don’t know. I clearly remember telling them all that I was using condoms. I did find it odd too.

Jen

 

[svid2]

What if you want to make a balloon?

 

[billboyzmom]

I think it would be ok in that circumstance.

 

[catholicgirl08]

Hi!

I found this:

In his encyclical Humanae Vitae, Pope Paul VI stated: “[T]he Church does not consider at all illicit the use of those therapeutic means necessary to cure bodily diseases, even if a foreseeable impediment to procreation should result there from—provided such impediment is not directly intended for any motive whatsoever” (HV 15).

 

[lifeisbeautiful]

Hi!

I found this:

In his encyclical Humanae Vitae, Pope Paul VI stated: “[T]he Church does not consider at all illicit the use of those therapeutic means necessary to cure bodily diseases, even if a foreseeable impediment to procreation should result there from—provided such impediment is not directly intended for any motive whatsoever” (HV 15).

Exactly. Condoms do not cure anything and the impediment to procreation cannot be intended for any motive whatsoever.

Also, the Church is very wise, and understands the human person very well, which is why is helps us learn the Truth, and doesn’t go waiver to accommodate well meaning but erroneous ideas that have negative effects on us, no matter how unpopular its stances make it.
The fact that you found 4 priests that either didn’t know the Church’s teachings (let’s assume this is the reason), or decided to give you the wrong information out of false compassion (its not true compassion to mislead anyone, even if they didn’t realize they were misleadings) actually saddens me more than anything. The Church, the Bride of Christ, did not come to the Truth in its teachings on sexuality randomly, they are truly for our good.

 

[Gordon_Sims]

That’s right. Listen to the people of CAF and not all 4 priests you talked to. The law is the law is the law is the law, and it is infinitely more important than the human person, no matter what… Regardless of what every priest you spoke to may have said.

Priests aren’t infallible. I could give a long list of all the things I was shocked by while reading Catholicism for Dummies, simply because they were the exact opposite of what was taught to me by our parish priest when I was growing up. Every priest my wife & I spoke to before we got married told us that contraception was okay and that there was nothing off-limits in the bedroom as long as it was between the two of us. Just because priests were telling us this doesn’t mean it was correct.

 

[Debora123]

Priests aren’t infallible. I could give a long list of all the things I was shocked by while reading Catholicism for Dummies, simply because they were the exact opposite of what was taught to me by our parish priest when I was growing up. Every priest my wife & I spoke to before we got married told us that contraception was okay and that there was nothing off-limits in the bedroom as long as it was between the two of us. Just because priests were telling us this doesn’t mean it was correct.

I pretty much agree with these priests, so

 

[underacloud]

Thank you for your response and the link. I will check it out. Unfortunately my husband will not be on board with NFP. If he chooses to use condoms and I feel that they are wrong. What then? What would be the church’s teaching for that situation? Thank you again for taking the time to read my posts. It is most appreciated

Jen

Hi Jen,

As others have addressed, if your husband chooses to use contraception against your wishes, you are not under an obligation to withhold sex. Your husband would be at odds with church teaching, but you would not, provided that you did not encourage or assist him (such as reminding him to wear one or buying them for him).

You may need to be careful as this difference in opinion could become a source of tension in your marriage, but perhas not as big a source of tension as if you withheld sex from him.

If you and your husband did this, it may still be a good thing for you to learn NFP and practice it; that is, abstain from sex while you may be fertile. Then, if your husband wants to use a condom during the infertile times, it is up to him and you will have conducted yourself entirely within church teachings.

Billings is a good method to learn, but I’d also look into temperature also. I think that can be helpful with conditions such as POCS, where identifying ovulation by mucus alone can be difficult. Recording a temperature spike to identify ovulation will allow you to determine the definitely safe stage of your cycle for sex, which will certainly help reduce the stress of sex when you are unsure of your cycle.

I wish you all the best and will pray for you.

 

[Corki]

How do you feel about the Pope allowing condom use for male prostitutes to try to stem the spread of HIV? Would that be more of a medical usage as it pertains to the spread of a disease? And I am in no way equating pregnancy and disease. I’m just curious as to how that fits in with church doctrine.

That’s not what the Pope said. He said that if a male prostitute used a condom to prevent the spread of disease it might be a sign of him moving toward a more moral way of living.

The Church’s teaching on contraception is always within the context of marriage. Nothing about a male prostitute using a condom is about marriage or even really about contraception.

Hi!

I found this:

In his encyclical Humanae Vitae, Pope Paul VI stated: “[T]he Church does not consider at all illicit the use of those therapeutic means necessary to cure bodily diseases, even if a foreseeable impediment to procreation should result there from—provided such impediment is not directly intended for any motive whatsoever” (HV 15).

Yes. That is why a person can take hormone therapy to treat a hormonal problem, even though it may cause infertility. A man can also, for example, undergo radiation treatment for cancer even though it might make him sterile. This also covers such things as removing a cancerous uterous or an inflamed fallopian tube even though the surgery might lead to the inability to concieve in the future.

Using a condom doesn’t cure or even treat any bodily disease.

 

[billboyzmom]

Thank you. I do believe that is the road I am going to take. I did attempt the sympto thermal method before, but my temps never fluctuated. Weird. Thanks again for taking the time to read and respond to my post.

Jen

 

[billboyzmom]

That’s not what the Pope said. He said that if a male prostitute used a condom to prevent the spread of disease it might be a sign of him moving toward a more moral way of living.

The Church’s teaching on contraception is always within the context of marriage. Nothing about a male prostitute using a condom is about marriage or even really about contraception.

Yes. That is why a person can take hormone therapy to treat a hormonal problem, even though it may cause infertility. A man can also, for example, undergo radiation treatment for cancer even though it might make him sterile. This also covers such things as removing a cancerous uterous or an inflamed fallopian tube even though the surgery might lead to the inability to concieve in the future.

Using a condom doesn’t cure or even treat any bodily disease.

Thank you for the clarification Corki.

Jen

 

[Dan_Daly]

… Probably because they understand that the written law is not to be valued more than the human person herself. A very common sense, humane, logical way of thinking.

You are welcome, and good luck with whatever you ultimately decide to do.

God bless.

Except that the prohibition against contraception is not a human law. It is a divine law. It is not common sense, humane, or logical to encourage people to do things that can land them in hell.

Now, I don’t think the priests involved are purposely being wicked, they most probably believe they are being humane, logical, and sensical. They are simply wrong in that belief.

Pax

 

[John_Parisi]

Hi all,

I’ve got a question that has been nagging at me for several years. I have consulted with four different priests who say that my husband and my use of condoms falls under a grave circumstance and is therefore permissable according to the Humanae Vitae. I’m wondering if any of you agree with this view or if you feel I was given the wrong information. I just want to make sure I’m doing the right thing. A bit of background information is that my husband has Asperger’s (autism spectrum disorder), I have OCD and my son was born with Asperger’s and a couple of different anxiety disorders. I have PCOS & endometriosis and I don’t seem to ovulate or get any of the regular ovulation symptoms that would make charting possible. In all honesty, my husband would not deal well emotionally/mentally with another child. I would have loved to have more, but it seems not to be.

I explained all of this to the priests I spoke to, they all said I had sufficient grave cirumstances. I was under the impression that it was never ok to use artificial means of contraception. Thank you in advance.

Jen

Dear Jen,

Today is the feast of St. John the Baptist. The man who told a king that women you are living with now, is your brothers wife. A modern expression, he tells it like it is. The year 1946 i joined the Army. We had a Company Commander who issued an order that no passes would be issued untill a man could show he picked up a condom and a pro-kit.

The Catholic men and even some Protestants went to the Chaplain and complained. After all to have these items in your pocket is an occasion of sin. The Chaplain called the Colonel of the Regiment. The Colonel called the Captain and ordered him to recind the order. Every Catholic I talked religion with was strong in the faith. We were united in our belief. I have never heard a priest yet say contraception may be OK in some circumstances. Jesus gave the Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven to St. Peter, when the Holy Father speaks Ex Cha. Out of the Chair, he must be obeyed. It would be a good idea for our priest to teach Humane Vita.

Jen, it is good that you question before taken action. God love you and may The Blessed Virgin Mary always keep you as thy child.

John

 

[John_Parisi]

If your husband insists on using a condom and you make your objection known and do not assist him with its use, then you are not responsible for his contraceptive act and do not need to withhold yourself from him because he is unilaterally sterilizing his side, so to speak, of the act. At least this is the advice I’ve heard and seen others given in this situation. Obviously (this is purely me speaking now) that situation would not be a healthy one for a marriage, or of course for your husband’s soul, so you should do what you can to avoid it if possible.

If the wife resists and he still goes through with his inentions, that is wrong. What is good if the two go to mass together receive Holy Comunion and pray together then you build up strength to resist any temptation.

 

[Em_in_FL]

Thank you. I do believe that is the road I am going to take. I did attempt the sympto thermal method before, but my temps never fluctuated. Weird. Thanks again for taking the time to read and respond to my post.

Jen

May I make a practical suggestion on the temperatures??
First off - make sure your basal thermometer is working properly (you can get a new one for fairly cheap at your local drugstore… make sure it’s a “digital basal” version)…
Secondly - and I know this may sound disgusting - consider taking your temperature vaginally. The reasoning is that some people randomly sleep with their mouth open (like if you’re congested?), and you can get cold spots in your mouth which can lead to inaccurate temperatures.
When I personally made this change (years ago), it REALLY helped clear up the questionable temperature readings I was having at times.

HTH!

 

[billboyzmom]

Thank you Emily. I believe I’m going to be getting a CPAP machine in the very near future. Do you think that would effect temps as well. I have an email out to a nurse practitioner that teaches the Billings Method. It sounds really interesting and like something I could do.

 

[billboyzmom]

Just a little update…I have shared my feelings with my husband and he was fairly receptive to using NFP. I was rather shocked and quite happy. Woohoo.

Jen

 

[lifeisbeautiful]

Just a little update…I have shared my feelings with my husband and he was fairly receptive to using NFP. I was rather shocked and quite happy. Woohoo.

Jen

Awesome! :dancing: I’m very happy for you.