Victor R. Claveau, MJ

Pope Paul VI’s 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae condemned both sterilization and abortion in very clear terms: “… the direct interruption of the generative process already begun, and, above all, directly willed and procured abortion, even if for therapeutic reasons, are to be absolutely excluded as licit means of regulating birth.  Equally to be excluded, as the teaching authority of the Church has frequently declared, is direct sterilization, whether perpetual or temporary, whether of the man or of the woman”^[1]

In response to a query on sterilization by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith’s statement of March 13, 1975 reaffirmed that “Any sterilization which of itself, that is, of its own nature and condition, has the sole immediate effect of rendering the generative faculty incapable of procreation, is to be considered direct sterilization, as the term is understood in the declarations of the pontifical magisterium, especially of Pius XII.  Therefore, notwithstanding any subjectively right intention of those whose actions are prompted by the care or prevention of physical or mental illness which is foreseen or feared as a result of pregnancy, such sterilization remains absolutely forbidden by the doctrine of the church.”

The Catholic Church recognizes not only the evil of sterilization when performed on individual persons, but that it is a vital component of the conspiracy against life waged by a ‘Culture of Death, especially when used for population control.’^[2]  Evangelium Vitae states that ‘It is therefore morally unacceptable to encourage, let alone impose, the use of methods such as contraception, sterilization and abortion in order to regulate births.’”.^[3]

[1] §14.

[2] Brian Clowes, Ph.D., What does the Catholic Church Teach about Sterilization? https://www.hli.org/resources/catholic-church-teach-sterilization/

[3] §91.