Question about abortifacients

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So a bit of a complex question. My wife takes birth control due to a genetic condition. She has tried alternate medications for years and nothing treats her condition except one specific type of birth control pill. We spoke to our Priest about this and he enlightened us about the dual effect doctrine. My question is, since this medication can function as an abortifacient, should condoms also be used to counteract this effect? My leaning is yes but I’m not sure. Any guidance would be appreciated.
 
I can’t give you an actual moral ruling, but I would think that condoms still count as interfering with the proper ordering of sex. They are wrong to use even for infertile couples for that reason, and since they aren’t treating anything in this scenario double effect doesn’t apply to them.

NFP would be the way to go.
 
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Due to the circumstances of Abortifacients, that a child could be killed, it would be a sin to have relations during this time. Why risk the death of your own child for sexual relations? Its not worth it.

Also, once you use abortifacient contraception, and have marital relations, the act becomes contraceptive. Contraception is intrinsically evil and gravelly immoral. The principal of double effect is not to be used when an act is intrinsically evil.

Abortifacient Contraception can cause a direct abortion. Pope Paul VI: “all direct abortion, even for therapeutic reasons, are to be absolutely excluded” (Humanae Vitae, n. 14).

Condoms are contraception and intrinsically evil(intrinsically evil means no intention or circumstance can allow for the act) and gravelly immoral so they should not be used.

Try to seek other treatment or refrain from relations during the use of contraception.
 
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So you can never have children? This is a sad thing. Aside from the moral issues, is your wife dealing with the idea of never having children? Is adoption something you are considering?
 
"No. That is contraception. Whereas the pills are a hormonal treatment for a medical condition— and that is legitimate under the principle of double effect.

The hormonal pills MIGHT act in that way, but they MIGHT not. And there is no way for you to know. There are two other mechanisms of action that the hormones have and they are primary— ovulation prevention and inhibition of sperm transport.

You are not required to do anything more than you are currently doing. You aren’t required to abstain. Your priest would have told you if that were the case."

Are you KIDDING me?? You are saying that, in the OP’s situation, you would rather take the chance of aborting a baby than use a condom? If you truly are pro-life, if you truly believe an embryo is worthy of life, then you would do all you could to prevent it being aborted. I think you got bogged down in your anti-birth control rule book somewhere along the way, and you’re not seeing the forest for the trees. In your eagerness to avoid contraception, you are advocating abortion no less than the Protestant who is okay with birth control because potential abortifacient effects are very rare.

By the way, I find it interesting how you call the birth control a “hormone pill” when it’s being used for a purpose you approve of. A birth control pill is a hormone pill.
 
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I would suggest that they OP contact the National Catholic Bioethics Center for a consultation if he has any concerns.
 
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I am not taking birth control but I have an autoimmune disease that means I have an 80% chance of miscarrying without medical intervention. The trick being that it’s difficult to get that intervention fast enough. So every time I have sex, I risk having a child die. Should my husband and I have to abstain for the next 15 or so years because we have a higher probability of miscarriage?
 
Newtous said:
My wife takes birth control due to a genetic condition.
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So you mean that the pill treats this condition, or that it is prescribed so as to prevent conception and passing on this genetic condition?

-Fr ACEGC
 
Ean_Fanaiochta said:
If your wife is using birth control that can function as an abortifacient, then it makes sense to me that you would want to use a condom to prevent any chance of fertilization and subsequent failure of implantation.
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This justifies an act, deemed intrinsically evil, by appeal to a good intention. Catholic moral principals rule some acts unacceptable no matter why they are chosen or what good benefits are expected to flow from them.
 
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Inquiry said:
the abortofacient part of it only comes into effect if the pill doesn’t suspend her cycle.
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The way the hormonal meds work is there are 21 hormone pills and 7 pills that do not contain hormones. During the 7 days without hormones, most women will have “breakthru” bleeding. It is not menstruation, women on this hormonal treatment do not have any cycles as they do not menstruate.

Some women don’t want even the break thru bleeding, so, they skip the 7 placebo pills and only take the hormonal pills for months on end.
 
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