Diocesan Resources
Love, Sex, and Sterilization (2015)
Love, Sex, and Sterilization
Couples sometimes find themselves considering permanent sterilization after bringing home a new baby. It’s a time of dramatic change, mind-numbing exhaustion and, yes, also joy. The temptation is understandable. Many new parents want to grasp control of a seemingly chaotic situation and say, “Never again, this is simply too much.” Sterilization is seen as the safe way out, the proverbial “fix” to the problem of fertility.
But what if fertility isn’t a problem in the first place? What if our capacity to conceive and bring forth new life from our marriages isn't some kind of cosmic liability, but a very real participation in the creative work of God himself?
That’s how the Catholic Church sees human love. That’s her view of marriage: the awe-inspiring, life-altering power to share in God’s own creative capacity.