IUD / Intrauterine Device and Receiving Communion

[ProdglArchitect]

Her doctor may have told her not to get pregnant as could be a risk to her own life if she has underlying health issues but is married and enjoys a full relationship with her husband. You mayn’t know about any health issues but could be shared in confidence with the priest in confession. What happens in confession is not for another to know especially if that person doesn’t want to share. They are entitled to the confidentiality as the priest is. You will have to trust the friend and priest and confession. Or outwardly ask the friend themselves and if they refuse to say then there is nothing you can do because you do not know what has happend in confession. The priest certainly won’t tell you. So you just have to trust the whole situation and offer it to God and if you keep ‘nagging’ your friend then she will learn you don’t trust her and probably won’t be your ‘friend’ for long. Health is one situation where a Priest wouldn’t overrule the Doctor especially if the Priest had full information of what the Doctor has warned.

The device acts as an abortifecient, which means that it remains illicit for her to engage in sexual relations with her husband, regardless of if is used to stem a health problem or not. The same is true of contraceptive pills; if they contracept by causing an abortion, then you can’t have sex while using them.

If it’s dangerous for you to get pregnant, that is not an excuse to use an abortifecient so you can keep having sex. If it’s dangerous to get pregnant you either accept the risks of your actions, or you abstain.

The seal of confession. No priest may disclose what was discussed in confession unless the penitent gives permission. The same should be applied to the penitent. Although I don’t know if penalties are atteched to this. However, since any advice the priest gives is geared to that penitent only it would be improper to disclose these confidences.

Linus2nd

Sorry, but nope, the penitent is completely free to discuss what is said in confession with anyone they want. They can be as detailed or as vague as they chose. Only the priest is bound by that law ^^

 

[estesbob]

I’m sorry, but that is false. The penitent is not bound to silence. The seal of confession applies only to the priest. The point of the seal is to ensure the penitent can confess what they wish without worrying about their sins becoming the talk of the neighbourhood. The point is to protect the penitents privacy, but since it is the penitents privacy at stake he/she is free to talk about it if he/she wishes.

Agreed but we have to take anything the penitent says with a huge grain of salt, especially when they report the priest has told them something that we know is contrary to church teaching.

 

[thewanderer]

Agreed but we have to take anything the penitent says with a huge grain of salt, especially when they report the priest has told them something that we know is contrary to church teaching.

Oh, yeah, definitely.

 

[thewanderer]

The device acts as an abortifecient, which means that it remains illicit for her to engage in sexual relations with her husband, regardless of if is used to stem a health problem or not. The same is true of contraceptive pills; if they contracept by causing an abortion, then you can’t have sex while using them.

If it’s dangerous for you to get pregnant, that is not an excuse to use an abortifecient so you can keep having sex. If it’s dangerous to get pregnant you either accept the risks of your actions, or you abstain.

Are you aware of the difference between abortion and miscarriage? In order for it to be an abortion it has to actually be intended.** If it was not intended or wanted in any way it is not an abortion. Period. ** Having an increased risk of miscarriage does not require one to abstain. So if one does not intend the increased risk of miscarriage and is doing everything in their power to reduce it (ie working on removing the IUD as soon as possible) then I see nothing wrong with continuing to have relations. There would also be nothing wrong with abstaining, but abstaining would not be required.

 

[GenerationHV]

Padre Pio once said unless you are certain you are in a state of mortal sin, you should not avoid the Eucharist.

We do not know what’s in her heart and conscience on this matter. Maybe she has an appointment to have it removed next week or next month. Maybe she has a progesterone releasing device that is approved to treat medical conditions.

 

[1ke]

The seal of confession. No priest may disclose what was discussed in confession unless the penitent gives permission.

The seal of confession applies to the priest, not the penitent.

The same should be applied to the penitent.

This is not correct. The penitent is free to talk about their confession any time. There is nothing that “applies” to a penitent in this regard.

 

[Linusthe2nd]

The device acts as an abortifecient, which means that it remains illicit for her to engage in sexual relations with her husband, regardless of if is used to stem a health problem or not. The same is true of contraceptive pills; if they contracept by causing an abortion, then you can’t have sex while using them.

If it’s dangerous for you to get pregnant, that is not an excuse to use an abortifecient so you can keep having sex. If it’s dangerous to get pregnant you either accept the risks of your actions, or you abstain.

Sorry, but nope, the penitent is completely free to discuss what is said in confession with anyone they want. They can be as detailed or as vague as they chose. Only the priest is bound by that law ^^

I did not say the seal of confessiion applied to the penitent, I said that it seemed unwise for the penitent to reveal what was said because the advise the priest gives is designed for that one penitent, it may not be applicable for all. Futher, human nature is such that we tend to rationalize our own behavior. Thus, it is impossible to tell if one listening to such revelations is receiving the truth. Perhaps even the penitent misunderstood what has been said by the priest. I cannot believe the example given above was the advice actually given.

Linus2nd.

 

[Linusthe2nd]

The seal of confession applies to the priest, not the penitent.

This is not correct. The penitent is free to talk about their confession any time. There is nothing that “applies” to a penitent in this regard.

I did not say the seal of confessiion applied to the penitent, I said that it seemed unwise for the penitent to reveal what was said because the advise the priest gives is designed for that one penitent, it may not be applicable for all. Futher, human nature is such that we tend to rationalize our own behavior. Thus, it is impossible to tell if one listening to such revelations is receiving the truth. Perhaps even the penitent misunderstood what has been said by the priest. I cannot believe the example given above was the advice actually given.

Linus2nd

 

[Rau]

Is there any circumstance in which a woman can worthily receive communion if she is using an IUD (Intrauterine Device) for birth control and has no intent to remove it? What if she went to confession and then immediately to mass?

A close friend of mine is in this situation. She went to confession, the priest absolved her, and she is receiving communion now, even after continued marital relations (with the device still in place).

In a situation like this, I assume the priest would establish the penitent’s intention to have the IUD removed, and that would be a precursor to forgiveness.