Childfree dalam Ajaran Katolik: Pandangan Penganut, Pemuka Agama, dan Umat Gereja

Abstract

The term childfree refers to individuals or couples who voluntarily choose not to have children. Within Catholic teaching, this choice is controversial because marriage is understood as a sacramental union that should remain open to procreation. This study examines childfree in Catholic teaching from the perspectives of Catholic couples who adopt this choice, Catholic clergy, and church members. This qualitative study was conducted in Makassar between May and July 2024. Thirteen informants participated: three childfree couples, one priest, two seminarians, and four Catholic laypeople. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and observation and analysed thematically. Childfree among Catholic couples generated opposing responses. Couples chose not to have children because of recurrent miscarriage trauma, anxiety about child-rearing, a desire to preserve time and intimacy as a couple, and reluctance to assume the practical burdens of parenting. Although the couples understood childfree as a personal decision, Catholic clergy considered it inconsistent with the Church’s teachings on marriage and procreation and distinguished it from the natural regulation of births. Lay Catholics also held differing views: some regarded childfree as a rejection of God’s will and the purposes of marriage, while others avoided moral judgement and emphasised respect for personal decisions. The findings show that childfree is negotiated at the intersection of individual autonomy, marital experience, and Catholic religious obligations.