By: Peyton Voorheis

Staff Writer

A joint venture of the Theology and Natural & Applied Science Departments led to a full Fireside Lounge engaged in discussion. Thursday, Feb. 13, there was a talk on “Men, Women, and Sex” open to any interested students. 

Physics professor Patrick Carson, PhD, helped arrange the event, welcoming students into the Fireside Lounge and offering pizza and soda.   

The first presenter to share was Franciscan’s own Deborah Savage, PhD, representing a philosophical and theological perspective. Secondly, visitor Marguerite Duane, MD, a professor at Duquesne University and a family physician, offered scientific and biological details about reproduction. Both presenters began with personal testimony about why reproductive issues are important to them, before leading into a more open discussion. 

Savage shared about living in California during the sexual revolution and said, “It was a nightmare. Don’t let anyone fool you into thinking it was this sudden burst of freedom.” She told a story of being on a date and having to explain to the man that she was not interested in going home with him, then realizing she was not able to explain why, which left her wanting to find answers. 

Duane spoke about the moment she watched her younger sister be born and realized she wanted to be a doctor.  From there, she spoke of her journey through medical school, which she only later realized unfortunately contained little education about women’s reproductive health. 

Both Savage and Duane spoke on how misunderstanding of the human person has led to harmful practices such as hookup culture and contraception. They also addressed the role that education plays in shifting the culture away from these practices. Savage said, “The only way we can right this situation is for men and women to know why ‘no’ is the answer.” 

Both presenters — having not met prior to this talk — were excited to speak with each other about the content, but made a point to open up the discussion to audience questions as they approached their end time of 1 p.m. Audience members posed questions about infertility, sexual education for teenagers, and the moral perspective on certain medical procedures. 

After the talk was scheduled to end, the presenters stayed an extra ten minutes, as did about half of the audience. Many students appreciated the talk and found value in the content. “This is the single most important topic that we as young women and even young men can talk about, because it’s so much about who we are,” said senior nursing major Liz Condon. 

Following the talk was an invitation to come to Duane’s presentation that evening. This presentation was hosted in Pugliese at 5 p.m. and had a primarily scientific focus on similar topics.