The Forgotten Sin: Why Marital Relations During Pregnancy Violates Natural Law and Catholic Teaching.
In an age where convenience often trumps conscience, many Catholic couples have accepted a dangerous error regarding the marital embrace during pregnancy. The prevailing assumption—that conjugal relations are morally neutral or even virtuous while a child already grows in the womb—stands in direct contradiction to the Church's traditional understanding of the primary purpose of marriage. This is not merely a matter of personal preference or "couples' choice," but a question of mortal sin and the proper ordering of one of the most sacred acts entrusted to married persons. The Primary End: Procreation First To understand why relations during pregnancy constitute a violation of divine law, one must first grasp the hierarchy of ends within marriage. Pope Pius XI, in his landmark encyclical Casti Connubii (1930), leaves no room for ambiguity: "Since, therefore, the conjugal act is destined primarily by nature for the begetting of children" ( Casti Connubii , #...