Are Roman Catholics expected to never use contraception/artificial birth control in any circumstance whatsoever?
The only exceptions I’ve heard of are:
1. Health issues, where women’s lives are at stake because of pregnancy.
2. With the permission of one’s parish priest after showing that they are not opposed to having children (Nancy Pelosi had 5 kids and I believe claimed that after that she was allowed to use birth control).
The second proposition probably isn’t true, but I’d heard it so I figured I’d ask for clarification.
I know so many Catholics who only have 1 or 2 kids but seem to be devout in all other areas, so I don’t know if there are exceptions, or if that is just one of those things that everyone just constantly confesses, and still does anyway.
There's no way that #2 is true. I have never heard of a case where you could say #1 is true–one person I know has a situation that they claim is close to this one, and another friend knows that they have a genetic condition where their children will die or be very sickly, but in these cases artificial contraception isn't the only way to deal with the situation.
Regarding Catholics with few children: some had a conversion later in life and cannot have more children; some have infertility and may have had one or two but then couldn't have anymore; there are quite a few who contracept as well and just don't understand the Church's teaching.
Both fertility and infertility can feel like crosses for different families at different times. Some wish that they had "the other problem" from what they are given; we have to trust that God knows what we each need.
God bless,
Devin