“Tormented by Difficulties of Every Kind”: Catholic Teaching on Contraception in Social Context

Authors

Kathleen Cavender-McCoy, Marquette University
Conor M. Kelly, Marquette UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-2024

Publisher

Cambridge University Press

Source Publication

Horizons

Source ISSN

0360-9669

Original Item ID

DOI: 10.1017/hor.2024.27

Abstract

The Catholic Church notably condemns all forms of artificial birth control and advocates natural family planning as the only morally licit means of spacing births. This teaching is presented as the quintessential pathway to the fullness of human sexuality, but many Catholics struggle with it, and the magisterium itself recognizes that this path is not an easy one to follow. This article uses recent developments in Catholic moral theology around the notion of structural sin to examine the structural constraints complicating ordinary Catholics’ pursuit of their tradition’s vision for marital sexuality, demonstrating that larger structural forces can considerably affect the perceived viability of Catholic teaching on contraception. As a result, the article highlights the importance of linking Catholic sexual ethics and social ethics to provide a more credible vision for a more compassionate approach to married life.

Comments

Accepted version. Horizons, Vol. 51, No. 2 (December 2025): 270-302. DOI. © 2024 Cambridge University Press. Used with permission.

Recommended Citation

Cavender-McCoy, Kathleen and Kelly, Conor M., "“Tormented by Difficulties of Every Kind”: Catholic Teaching on Contraception in Social Context" (2024). Theology Faculty Research and Publications. 903.
https://epublications.marquette.edu/theo_fac/903