# Catholics and Anal Sex **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 20, 2003, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catholics-and-anal-sex/169750 "2003-04-20T01:57:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TJ555\_The\_Golfer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/41988e/32.png) [@TJ555\_The\_Golfer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJ555_The_Golfer)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catholics-and-anal-sex/169750/1 "2003-04-20T01:57:58Z")
Can married Catholics have anal sex without it being a sin? What about unmarried Catholics? ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catholics-and-anal-sex/169750/2 "2003-04-20T02:04:01Z")
I don’t know about married Catholics, although I’m sure it’s not a sin. Unmarried Catholics, d’uh, of course not. ---
**Author:** ![spectrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc29f/32.png) [@spectrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spectrum)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catholics-and-anal-sex/169750/3 "2003-04-20T02:04:20Z")
Since the point of marital sex is procreation, and the potential for procreation must be allowed in all sex acts, I do not believe that anal sex amongst married Catholics would be licit. Sex of any kind for unmarried persons is considered sinful under Catholic doctrine. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catholics-and-anal-sex/169750/4 "2003-04-20T02:12:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by spectrum \* > **Since the point of marital sex is procreation, and the potential for procreation must be allowed in all sex acts, I do not believe that anal sex amongst married Catholics would be licit.** Does this mean that sex between unfertile or elderly couples is a sin? ---
**Author:** ![g8rguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7cd45c/32.png) [@g8rguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/g8rguy)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catholics-and-anal-sex/169750/5 "2003-04-20T02:16:10Z")
I am not a Catholic, but I believe it’s that the purpose of sex is procreative or unitative, isn’t it? In which case, sex between unfertile or elderly couples is certainly okay in its unitative aspect. I don’t know for sure, however. ---
**Author:** ![spectrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc29f/32.png) [@spectrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spectrum)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catholics-and-anal-sex/169750/6 "2003-04-20T02:25:33Z")
Sex between those who cannot bear children due to age or health, what have you, is not sinful. However, fertile people having sex in such a way that is not open to procreation is always sinful. Now, this may mean that elderly, married Catholics can have anal sex. I’m not quite sure. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catholics-and-anal-sex/169750/7 "2003-04-20T02:38:18Z")
Spec: Too logical. I’m sure it’s still a sin. TJ: Thanks for making my evening! ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catholics-and-anal-sex/169750/8 "2003-04-20T02:38:31Z")
AFAICT, the rule is that , the sex act must not preclude the possibility of procreation, IF you were capable of reproduction. The rule forbids acts that are non-procreative _by design of the act_ as opposed to due to a condition of one of the spouses. The usual reading of this is that any “unnatural” sex is out of the question. However I am not clear on what the position is on, say, oral contact as _foreplay_ leading to consummation of “proper” natural intercourse. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catholics-and-anal-sex/169750/9 "2003-04-20T03:02:34Z")
As a point of information, does _any_ religion endorse anal sex? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Lao](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2bfe46/32.png) [@Dr.Lao](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Lao)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catholics-and-anal-sex/169750/10 "2003-04-20T03:08:38Z")
And if not, can we start one? ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catholics-and-anal-sex/169750/11 "2003-04-20T03:11:01Z")
I’ve heard the Cathar heretics of the Middle Ages did. ---
**Author:** ![TJ555\_The\_Golfer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/41988e/32.png) [@TJ555\_The\_Golfer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJ555_The_Golfer)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catholics-and-anal-sex/169750/12 "2003-04-20T03:27:41Z")
What about anal sex as foreplay? Can a Catholic married couple have anal sex until it time for the man to orgasm and then switch to vaginal sex for the orgasm? ---
**Author:** ![Davebear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@Davebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Davebear)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catholics-and-anal-sex/169750/13 "2003-04-20T03:33:13Z")
I dunno what the church says about that switcheroo, but healthcare professional will tell you it’s not a good idea. Going from vaginal to anal is fine, but anal to vaginal can lead to recurring yeast infections, among other unpleasant things. ---
**Author:** ![Blackeyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f6c823/32.png) [@Blackeyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackeyes)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catholics-and-anal-sex/169750/14 "2003-04-20T04:07:31Z")
[hijack] To the OP: Weren’t you banned recently? [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![TJ555\_The\_Golfer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/41988e/32.png) [@TJ555\_The\_Golfer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJ555_The_Golfer)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catholics-and-anal-sex/169750/15 "2003-04-20T04:13:19Z")
“[hijack] To the OP: Weren’t you banned recently? [/hijack]” Not that that I am aware of. ---
**Author:** ![spectrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc29f/32.png) [@spectrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spectrum)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catholics-and-anal-sex/169750/16 "2003-04-20T04:15:37Z")
Heh. You ever see _Escape From New York_? “Hey… Snake… Man, I heard you were dead…” “Snake Plisken? Aren’t you dead?” ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catholics-and-anal-sex/169750/17 "2003-04-20T04:19:20Z")
The story that was told in the locker room when I was young was that you should date Catholic girls because they would let you take them from behind - they had to remain virgins, but anal sex was not a sin. I never personally verified this at the time, I’m just passing on the locker room “wisdom” ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catholics-and-anal-sex/169750/18 "2003-04-20T08:22:32Z")
how about the various forms of birth control? since it disrupts procreation it would be a sin too? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catholics-and-anal-sex/169750/19 "2003-04-20T08:28:39Z")
Artificial birth control is not allowed by the Roman Catholic Churc. Haj ---
**Author:** ![Freyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freyr/32/5763_2.png) [@Freyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freyr)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catholics-and-anal-sex/169750/20 "2003-04-20T09:48:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Krokodil \* > \*\*As a point of information, does _any_ religion endorse anal sex? \*\* I don’t know of any religion that specifically _endorses_ anal sex. But many don’t seem to mind non-traditional sexual practices as long as they don’t violate marriage vows or incest taboos. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catholics-and-anal-sex/169750.md?page=2)