Question:
Answer:
A man undergoes a vasectomy because he does not want to sire children but does not want to observe some form of periodic abstinence, which would be the morally upright way to go about it. A vasectomy is simply a form of contraception. Instead of following the moral law and using marital relations uprightly, he chooses a convenient, permanent solution so that he can have intercourse at any time.
Although the pleasure of intercourse is morally good in marriage, it cannot be placed above the principal value of the act, which is to express a committed love that is so deep it is open to the care of new life. This kind of contraceptive intention makes his relations with his wife little different from other sexual acts that cannot result in procreation. There are also the obvious risks of undergoing a mutilating surgery that can have in some cases some unpleasant side effects.
It should be pointed out, however, that vasectomies can be reversed. A man should seriously consider this if he has come to understand that what he has done is not right.