Childfree by choice in a confrontation with the fundamental values of marriage. The perspective of catholic moral theology

Konrad Glombik

Abstract

Contemporary socio-cultural changes and the mentality associated mainly with individualism have a significant impact on marriage and family. This is manifested not only in the change of the concept of marriage and family, but also in delaying the decision of marriage, alternative forms of marital life, acceptance of divorces and infidelity, as well as transformation in the understanding and realization of the procreative function of marriage. The report published by CBOS in January 2010 presenting the results of the studies on the procreation attitudes of Poles shows that the vast majorityof respondents under 30 years of age are planning to have an offspring, but there are also those who do not intend to have children. There are many reasons for this approach to procreation, and the phenomenon of voluntary exclusion of children from marital life is referred to as childfree by choice. Although childlessness affects nowadays many marriage couples, and it has its roots in various biological and social reasons, being childfree by choice is a conscious attitude of exclusion offspring from marital life, in a situation where parenting is possible, based on different motives and not just for some defined period of time in marriage, but for the whole martial life. The phenomenon of childfree by choice is the subject of researches of various sciences, including sociology, psychology, anthropology, cultural studies and philosophy. The childfree by choice, understood as a specific attitude to formation of marital life, is also an interest of moral theology, especially of its important branch which is the morality of marriage and family life. The following text is an attempt to assess the problem of the childfree by choice from the perspective of catholic moral theology and its confrontation with the core values associated with the meaning of marriage and family life. One of the fundamental values of marriage is the vocation of spouses to parenthood, the negation of which is the attitude to the childfree by choice. Another problem that arises in connection with the conscious resignation by spouses of parenting is the understanding of the nature of spousal love, which is the foundation of marriage. Childfree by choice is an attitude justified by the spouses with different reasons, including responsibility, which makes it important to confront the issue from the perspective of the concept closely connected with married life, namely responsible parenthood. Marriage and the fulfillment of its procreative function is for the catholic moral theology an important social value, consequently also from this point of view the attitude of conscious choice of childfree in marriage was analyzed.

Keywords:

by choice, procreative function of marriage, vocation of spouses to parenthood, nature of spousal love, responsible parenthood, marriage as an important social value