MARQUETTE -- The recent issue of pre-marital sex and contraception will be discussed in Marquette this Friday and Saturday.

Dr. Janet Smith has been researching this controversial topic for nearly 30 years and hopes to provide some guidance to the public and the local clergy with her presentation "Contraception: Why Not."

Bishop Sample was also on hand to speak to the clergy. He stressed the importance of this issue from a freedom of religion standpoint.

"This is all done by scientific studies, so people think the church's teaching is all sort of based on obscure medieval metaphysics or something, and I'm going to use modern scientific data to show that those sciences support the wisdom of the church's teaching," said Dr. Smith.

She will be speaking on Friday at 7 p.m. at the St. Peter Cathedral in Marquette, and the event is open to the public.  Dr. Smith will also be speaking at 3 p.m. on Saturday at St. Michael Parish.