“That priest needs to go back to seminary and get a refresher course in moral theology, because I don’t think it “took” the first time.”
Sounds to me like this priest was attempting to grant economia to the woman. That is of course the province of a bishop, not the parish priest unless the bishop has delegated the authority to his priests, for example when a parish priest will allow reception of communion without fasting by people who for medical reasons must eat in the morning.
It is my understanding, however, that the Roman Church does not practice economia, at least to any extent. Is this true?
I also note that any absolute ban on artificial non abortiofacient birth control would be unlikely to be considered an appropriate subject for a dogmatic proclamation and if it were so declared, the people would reject it, as it appears from polls Roman Catholics have. In Orthodoxy, that would be the end of it.
There's no such thing as "economia" which can make an intrinsically evil act, which is what directly intended sterilization is, into a permissible one. "Economia" (the Western term is "dispensation") can dispense from a Church rule or regulation, but it has no power to selectively repeal the moral law.
As Scripture says, "Woe to those who call evil 'good', and good, 'evil'." (Isaiah 5:20)
Now, it's completely different if we're talking about indirect sterilization, which is something that achieves a good result, but produces sterilization as an unintended but unavoidable side effect.
For example, suppose a woman developed uterine cancer, and the indicated treatment is a hysterectomy. This is not a problem because it is not being performed to sterilize, but to remove a seriously diseased organ.
Kolo, a strong argument can be made that it it already has been so declared. (cf Casti Connubii, Pope Pius XI, 1932)
and if it were so declared, the people would reject it, as it appears from polls Roman Catholics have. In Orthodoxy, that would be the end of it.
Truth is not determined by majority vote. There was an undivided and undiluted Christian witness condemning birth control prior to 1930. That a majority of Catholics would reject it now demonstrates that apostasy is widespread, not that 1900 years of Christian witness prior to 1930 was wrong.
The GOANSA website even admits that approving contraception is an innovation, and they're okay with it.