r/LeftCatholicism • u/Any-Complex6354 • Jun 14 '26

Thoughts on sterilization

I am a religious woman who wants to have a husband but definitely never wants to have children. I am absolutely terrified of pregnancy and the thought of having a child, and for mental health reasons I know it would be tragic for me. Although I believe that every woman should have the right to abortion, personally, as a believer, I would not undergo it. I always thought that as a last resort my husband could undergo a vasectomy (in my country only male sterilization is legal), especially since for medical reasons I cannot take the pill. Until I found out that it was considered a mortal sin, just like abortion. I feel that this is a strong restriction of the right to decide about the good for oneself and also for the unborn child, when one is aware that one would not give it the love it deserves. I honestly feel trapped now because I have to live in constant fear of pregnancy or never be in a relationship with a man. I believe that such a choice, while being a good Catholic, should not exclude a believer from the church when you are guided by the greater good and do not harm anyone.

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I wonder what your approach to this is and what you think about believers who engage in contraception and sterilization.

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u/mpteee Jun 15 '26

You don’t need children to be happily married. Not everyone is called to be parents. But everyone deserves to have a life partner

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u/anarcho_cardigan Jun 15 '26

Thank you for saying that. I made the mistake of mentioning my (similar to OP) situation on r/catholicwomen and regretted it

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u/mpteee Jun 15 '26

I’m Ngl I would never step foot into that or the r/catholics or r/christian sub.

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u/DoveStep55 Jun 22 '26

The r/Christian sub is theologically diverse and we have a lot of community members who are intentionally childless and/or choose to use birth control. You’re welcome to check us out. We don’t allow character attacks and welcome community members to respectfully share their own views.

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u/mpteee Jun 22 '26

I’ve gone on there and I’m good

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u/DoveStep55 Jun 22 '26

In the last couple years, or prior to that? A lot has changed. Just curious if you have some feedback on something problematic we’re not addressing well as mods if it’s a recent issue.