Article III: Concerning Accessory Acts Connected with Conjugal Copulation

I. Besides copulation itself, there are also acts more or less connected with it, which occur between spouses in carnal commerce, which can be recalled to a threefold species:

a. acts ordered to exciting nature toward the conjugal act, or to moving the flesh;

b. acts harmful to the conjugal act, or against the ordering of nature, as pollution voluntary in itself or in the cause, and sodomy improperly so called, or a proximate occasion to these;

c. acts which are neither ordered to conjugal copulation nor harmful, and are said to be beside generation, for example to act for pleasure alone, to touch oneself uselessly.

Hence three principles:

A. Whatever is done according to the due end and generation, or is necessary or useful for the conjugal act, is licit.

B. Whatever is done beside the end, not against generation, does not exceed venial sin.

C. Whatever is against the due end, the generation of offspring, is gravely illicit, and participates in the malice of adultery or violated fidelity.

From these principles it can be judged how spouses can sin through excess, and the following conclusions are already understood.

II. Concerning imperfect venereal acts between spouses present:

1. Imperfect or impudicious acts, looks, touches, kisses, embraces, likewise conversations, even altogether base, exercised between spouses present in order to copulation now to be had, are licit, insofar as they conduce to carrying out that copulation more perfectly, more pleasurably, and more easily. For they are the preparation and beginning of this act as of an end; but if the end is honorable, so too are the means naturally ordered to it. Provided diligence is employed lest semen be emitted outside the female genital canal, and consent is not given to pollution that may arise by chance.

2. Likewise they are licit, with a certain restriction, for fostering or preserving mutual love, which is necessary to marriage and copulation, especially if here and now there is some grave and proportionate reason, for example grave suspicion of infidelity or of propensity toward another person to be avoided, necessity of providing a special sign of love, cutting off the beginning of adulterous libido, the altogether urgent petition of the partner, and so forth. This reason must be graver to the extent that the danger of pollution is greater. But the restriction is this: provided the act is not per se and altogether proximately provoking satiative pleasure or pollution, or equivalent to pollution itself, and there is no danger of consenting to it if at some time it follows. Therefore where spouses notice that the danger of pollution is proximately present, they must cease from the acts.

3. But if here and now there is no reason, so that spouses here and now cannot or do not wish to perfect copulation, yet seek those acts for themselves and intend pleasure alone, they are illicit because in the intention of the agent they are deprived of their natural and due end, but only venially, because there is only the excessive or inordinate use of a licit thing; indeed also gravely if there is proximate danger of pollution or complete venereal pleasure.¹

¹ In the preceding things the question concerns truly impudicious touches; for modest and honorable ones are licit even with danger of pollution, provided some reason is present and the danger of consent is absent. On the contrary, truly base touches exercised with a third person are gravely illicit.

III. Concerning solitary imperfect venereal acts when the partner is absent:

1. Solitary imperfect acts, exercised when the partner is absent, are illicit, because they are done for pleasure alone, unless perhaps in certain circumstances they are useful for preparing future copulation, nourishing sexual appetite, obtaining heat, and so forth. Therefore per se they are illicit: mortally if there is proximate danger of pollution or satiative pleasure, or consent to it; otherwise at least venially, because, according to several, they are not opposed to the essential order of marriage but, by reason of the matrimonial state, of themselves are naturally referred to licit matrimonial copulation, which nevertheless here and now is excluded. According to many others, on the contrary, they are always mortal, because, since spouses per se do not have right over their own body, those acts are of themselves the beginning of pollution,² and do not bespeak an order to copulation except sometimes by reason of special circumstances. Saint Alphonsus says that this last opinion is to be advised, not imposed, in practice.

² Yet it may be permitted to observe that imperfect acts of themselves are not against nature nor according to nature, because of themselves they say nothing such. Compare p. 70. Hence in the case it is the same as if spouses present exercised those acts and did not wish to perfect copulation. Nor should you say: if in spouses imperfect acts and incomplete pleasure are only venial, also in others they are only venially evil. The response: for spouses complete pleasure itself is licit in conjugal copulation, and accordingly also incomplete pleasure. Hence in the case, the thing which is sought by them is not undue, but only the mode in which it is sought is undue. On the contrary, for the unmarried the pleasure itself is undue, as reserved to marriage.

2. Morose delectation concerning copulation with one's own spouse had or to be had, or desire of it, because they concern a licit thing, are not sins, unless danger of pollution were present; for then they are mortal sin. Or unless someone adhered to them altogether uselessly and idly; for then they are venial. Delectation or desire concerning acts venially evil is a light sin; concerning acts prohibited under grave sin it is mortal.

IV. Concerning certain acts preparatory to copulation or accompanying it:

1. To begin copulation in an undue vessel, for example in the posterior vessel or in the mouth, with the intention of consummating it in the female genital canal; likewise to touch the posterior vessel with the genitals or to lick them with the mouth, is not mortal sin, provided the pouring forth of semen is guarded against and sodomitical affection is excluded, which nevertheless will easily be present if the aforesaid things are not done in passing but last for some time. Indeed, if they are sought as the sole means and preparation of the due act and a sufficient reason is present, for example because otherwise someone cannot be excited, they are not sin.³

³ For the incomplete act of itself is not against nature nor according to nature, but abstracts from both, as was said.

2. The woman can by touches, either her own or those of the husband, excite herself to having satiative and perfect pleasure, and thus complete copulation, if the man has previously inseminated within the female genital canal. On the contrary, this would be illicit if the man had inseminated outside the female genital canal in an onanistic mode, because then there would be no copulation apt for generation and accordingly no common act to be completed; whence, if it were done, there would be solitary sin.

3. Likewise, the wife could seek perfect pleasure immediately before the insemination of the man, at least if the man effects intromission before she is calmed. This will be done without mortal sin, and when reason is present, even without venial sin, if because of lesser heat she cannot be moved in the very congress and otherwise experience complete pleasure, or if the man himself is scarcely excited otherwise than by seeing the excitation of the wife and can perfect copulation. For it seems to suffice that in the conjugal act both spouses morally together experience the heat of pleasure. Nevertheless one must try that there also be physical simultaneity, because it is more fitting to nature and health, and fosters pleasure and love more.

4. Nevertheless it would not be licit for the man to continue the act if the wife has withdrawn herself, because it would be nothing but useless pollution.

5. The wife does not sin, at least mortally, who deliberately restrains commotion, distillation, and complete pleasure, because they are not necessary for copulation and generation, and therefore she is not the cause that the semen of the man is prodigally deprived of its end. Yet she would be reprehensible if she did this from anger or aversion toward the husband, and she should be exhorted that also in this she show herself easy so that she may please the man and foster the union of love.

V. Warning. Imperfect acts, since from their nature they are not licit except in order to copulation, are illicit for those for whom seeking or even rendering copulation is absolutely prohibited: thus, for example, by reason of vow, or permanent impotence.

This, however, is not to be understood of all touches, looks, or kisses; for such acts are of themselves licit in marriage, because it belongs to the spouse to exercise them upon the body of the consort, which is his or hers; nor are they of themselves and necessarily venereal, but only when venereal pleasure is sought in them, or they include danger of this kind. In this way, however, they are prohibited for those for whom copulation is altogether prohibited.