USE of IUD and degree of culpability

[MrsMeganMc]

Well - I confessed this sin, on Monday actually.

I guess I really didn’t realize how serious it was - and I had been receiving communion until I was “ready” (i.e. had it removed).

 

[lizaanne]

Well - I confessed this sin, on Monday actually.

I guess I really didn’t realize how serious it was - and I had been receiving communion until I was “ready” (i.e. had it removed).

If you did not realize then you are not culpable. But now that you DO know, just confess your full understanding next time.

~Liza

 

[Genesis315]

Abortion and mere contraception are both potentially mortal sins. Instead of wondering which mortal sin is better to commit , don’t do either! :doh2:

 

[MrsMeganMc]

If you did not realize then you are not culpable. But now that you DO know, just confess your full understanding next time.

~Liza

No - I was not being clear.

I knew exactly what an IUD did - I had full understanding.

I just did not realize that it was on the same level as an abortion in the church’s eyes (excommunication).

 

[lizaanne]

No - I was not being clear.

I knew exactly what an IUD did - I had full understanding.

I just did not realize that it was on the same level as an abortion in the church’s eyes (excommunication).

Ah - well you did confess your use of the device with full understanding of how the device worked and that the use of it was a sin. If you still feel unsure about all of it, just ask your priest when you go to confession again and see what he says.

~Liza

 

[Raqui]

Which would have raised red flags for folks who know that conception occurs in the fallopian tubes, not in the uterus. But doctors are not quite accurate when explaining these things, people feel that doctors are professionals they can trust (and indeed many are) so they just go along with what they are told and do not question or inform themselves independently of the doctor’s comments.

It is indeed sad that women are not properly informed by medical professionals, and therefore CAN’T make informed decisions about their care in such cases based only on what they are told. We must be responsible for our decisions by educating ourselves, but many women do not have the means or ability to do so, for whatever reason.

~Liza

Good point, Liza. As someone who has only recently been called to faith, it never occurred to me to even question what my doctor told me. I had always thought of myself as intelligent and well-informed, but I made basic assumptions about some things without any investigation at all. I was horrified with my own lack of personal responsibility in making informed decisions when I discovered Truth.

One of the things that called me to Catholicism was the church’s constant ability to address intelligently every issue and investigate its validity on many levels beyond the spiritual: scientific, physical, literary, historical, mathematical, etc… It was the “wholeness” of the faith that spoke to me, and makes so much sense to me as I move forward on my spiritual journey.

Genesis315 also makes a good point. Sin is sin, and as such leads to struggle, pain and suffering. It is a part of the human experience, but if we haven’t learned of the consequences from our own sins, we can only pray for the grace and wisdom to learn from others who have gone before us, whether our peers or examples in scripture, so as to avoid future sin and the suffering therein.

~Raqui

 

[noclevername]

I haven’t read the replies and I’m not sure what the church says but I see IUD as abortion. An IUD irritates the uterine lining so that a fertilized egg cannot attach. The key term though is fertilized egg. That is the beginning of life. Since the IUD irritates the uterine lining, the fertilized egg can’t attach and it dies and is forced to leave the body. To me that says abortion. Seems similar to how the morning after pill works.

I am not Catholic although I am learning about it right now and seeing if I am being led that way but I still think it’s very wrong. I grew up Methodist and we don’t have a problem with BC but I personally think IUD is really bad. I personally have to use BC pills for medical reasons (I am not married) but that prevents the egg from being released so no fertilization takes place. (But I don’t use it for BC, like I said before I have to take it for med reasons) So if you insist on going against the church and using BC, it should be something like the pill where life is never created.

 

[lizaanne]

I am not Catholic although I am learning about it right now and seeing if I am being led that way but I still think it’s very wrong. I grew up Methodist and we don’t have a problem with BC but I personally think IUD is really bad. I personally have to use BC pills for medical reasons (I am not married) but that prevents the egg from being released so no fertilization takes place. (But I don’t use it for BC, like I said before I have to take it for med reasons) So if you insist on going against the church and using BC, it should be something like the pill where life is never created.

So glad to hear that you are investigating the Catholic Faith!! Welcome!! :

You should know that not all pills are the same. Some DO cause abortion of a fertilized egg, not just suppression of ovulation. Be careful, ask questions about what you are taking (should you marry and still require the medication) so you are fully informed about what you are putting in your body and what the consequences of that decision could be.

~Liza

 

[noclevername]

So glad to hear that you are investigating the Catholic Faith!! Welcome!! :

You should know that not all pills are the same. Some DO cause abortion of a fertilized egg, not just suppression of ovulation. Be careful, ask questions about what you are taking (should you marry and still require the medication) so you are fully informed about what you are putting in your body and what the consequences of that decision could be.

~Liza

I am very educated about the meds I take. It’s not only my nature but it’s sort of my job too. The BC pills I take are very high in progesterone which tricks my body into thinking I’m pregnant so that I don’t release an egg. I cannot function day to day not being on these pills and the only other alternative is a hysterectomy which I am not willing to do because I would like to try and have kids some day.

 

[Beverly_Jean]

Yes, it is true that by using an IUD for many years, I will never know if I lost a fertilized egg or not (real human being, child of mine, sent by God as the ultimate gift). Sadly, I expect that I lost many, both due to the length of time (about twenty years) that I used an IUD and the fact that I had good health and regular menstrual periods, which generally means that I produced an egg monthly. Also, I usually had other wise unprotected sex at least two times a week. Under these conditions it is probable, not just possible, that I lost several fertilized eggs a year.

You also asked if my not knowing whether or not I had lost a child of my own made a difference. Again, my answer is yes, and I can’t say that strongly enough. I stopped using the IUD (spontaneously aborted it) along with some uterine tissue that might have been a fetus of about four weeks old, or it might have been just some uterine tissue that had embedded around the IUD; I will never know. What I do know though is that now it is too late for me to have a child of my own, and now I very much want one. If one or more of these lost fertilized eggs had been allowed to live, he or she would be an adult by now, and I might be a grandmother even, and this is my own fault, not God’s fault. Every day I see young women with their babies and/ or young children, or middle aged women with their grand children, and I long for the closeness that I see between them. I miss my own mother (who passed away a few years ago), and I remember the closeness she and I shared. Each day it is hard to see this, and it is especially hard on the Holidays when families are stressed so strongly in our society. And so, in answer to your question of “whether or not I will ever know if I lost a fertilized egg and doesn’t that
matter?”; yes, it truly does matter. I know that I will live with this regret and sadness for the rest of my life, and I will be reminded of it nearly every day. I am soooo sorry that I made the choice I did all those years ago, and I write this now in hopes that someone reading it might be able to gain the fore sight that I lacked and might rethink any decision they may have made (or be in the process of making) regarding choosing contraception.

I have confessed this grave sin, done penance, and I continue to follow up with my confessor for spiritual direction. As an R.N., I hope to be able to make at least some amends by teaching others why most forms of contraception are, or sometimes are abortive as is true of the “pill”.

Beverly Jean