Straight Answers: Impotence and
Infertility
By Fr. William Saunders
HERALD Staff Writer
My friend and I were having a discussion over
whether a person who cannot have children can get married
in the Catholic Church. What does the Church teach on
this? — A reader in Crystal City
This question regarding the inability of a person to
enter into marriage because of the inability to have
children has two dimensions: impotence and infertility.
Before addressing those issues, let us first recall our
belief about marriage as revealed by God. In Genesis,
after Almighty God created man and woman in His own
divine image and likeness, we read, "God blessed
them, saying, ‘Be fertile and multiply; fill the
earth and subdue it’" (Gn 1:28). In the second
creation account, Adam says about the woman Eve, created
from his own flesh by God, "This one, at last, is
bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be
called ‘woman,’ for out of ‘her man’
this one has been taken"; then continuing, we read,
"That is why a man leaves his father and mother and
clings to his wife, and the two of them become one
body" (Gn 2:23-24). Throughout the Old Testament, we
see the goodness in the eyes of God the husband and wife
coming together as one, expressing their marital unions
in conjugal love, and participating in God’s
creative love. Marriage, therefore, with its blessing of
unitive and procreative love, is a reflection of the
covenant, that bonding of life and love between God and
His people.
Our Lord affirmed this teaching in the Gospel. When
questioned about divorce, Jesus said, "Have you not
read that at the beginning the Creator made them male and
female and declared, ‘For this reason a man shall
leave his father and mother and cling to his wife, and
the two shall become as one’? Thus, they are no
longer two but one flesh. Therefore, let no man separate
what God has joined." Moreover, St. Paul used the
image of marriage in describing the union between Christ
and the Church. Holding true to this revelation, we as
Catholics rightfully believe marriage to be a sacrament.
Given this teaching, the Catechism asserts what
are traditionally termed "the three goods of
marriage": indissolubility, faithfulness, and
fertility (cf No. 1643-54). These "goods" are
expressed verbally in the vows taken during the Rite of
Matrimony when a couple declares their total and
unconditional love for each other. These
"goods" are also expressed physically when a
couple consummates their marriage. Therefore, for a
couple to enter validly into the Sacrament of Matrimony,
they must offer not only their free and informed consent
in the exchange of vows but also consummate the marriage
in the act of conjugal love. Moreover, their conjugal
love as husband and wife continue to be a sign of their
sacramental union.
With this in mind, let us address the issue of
impotence. A man or woman who suffers impotence, either
physically or psychologically, cannot enter into marriage
because he or she cannot physically consummate the
marriage. According to the Code of Canon Law,
antecedent and perpetual impotence at the time of
marriage invalidates the marriage (No. 1984.1). In sum, a
person who is impotent cannot enter into marriage
validly. Quite simply, a marriage must be consummated.
(Note that impotence that occurs after the consummation
does not impact upon the validity of the marriage; for
example, if a husband suffers prostrate cancer later in
life and undergoes surgery or treatment which renders him
impotent, the marriage still retains its validity.)
Infertility, on the other hand, involves an inability
to conceive a child. Here, the couple can express their
conjugal love to each other, but one or both cannot
physically conceive a child. However, infertility does
not prevent a person from validly entering into marriage.
The Code of Canon Law affirms, "Sterility
neither prohibits nor invalidates marriage" (No.
1084.3). Appreciating the suffering of an infertile
couple, the Catechism states, "Spouses to
whom God has not granted children can nevertheless have a
conjugal life full of meaning, in both human and
Christian terms. Their marriage can radiate a
fruitfulness of charity, of hospitality, and of
sacrifice" (No. 1654). In this case, a couple can
consummate the marriage, but they just cannot conceive
children.
Therefore, while impotency presents an impediment to
entering into marriage, infertility does not. They are
distinct and different issues. Nevertheless, we must pray
and support those individuals who suffer these crosses.
Fr. Saunders is dean of the Notre Dame Graduate
School of Christendom College and pastor of Queen of
Apostles Parish, both in Alexandria.
Copyright ©1998 Arlington
Catholic Herald, Inc. All rights reserved.
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