1811032. When is it moral to regulate births?

497. When is it moral to regulate births? The regulation of births, which is an aspect of responsible fatherhood and motherhood, is objectively morally acceptable when it is pursued by the spouses without external pressure; when it is practiced not out of selfishness but for serious reasons; and with methods that conform to the objective criteria of morality, that is, periodic abstinence and use of the infertile periods. Further reading: CCC 2368-2369 498. What are immoral means of birth control? Every action - for example, direct sterilization or contraception - is intrinsically immoral which (either in anticipation of the conjugal act, in its accomplishment or in the development of its natural consequences) proposes, as an end or as a means, to hinder procreation. Further reading: CCC 2370-2372