Expert: Tom Schott - 7/22/2004

Question
Hello.  I was wondering why the Catholic church says that masturbation is a sin.  Thank you for your time.

Answer
Mark,

  The Church's rationale is based in natural law. Roughly it goes like this: the primary purpose of the sexual function in mankind is the propogation of the species. So all sexual acts must by natural law be oriented towards that end. If they are not, they are morally deficient. So masturbation and birth control, both of which thwart the primary purpose of the sexual function in human beings, are morally disordered, i.e., sinful.

   That's it in a nutshell.

Deacon Tom