1985
Dr. Sharon Hatcher, MD and Dr. Andrew Kennedy, MD jointly share this presentation on the issue of Bahá’í youth and sexuality from the perspective of the Bahá’í teachings. They alternate throughout. Dr. Kennedy gives background data to set the stage. In 1984 a study of 3,600 teenagers from 180 Canadian schools yielded some striking information about premarital intercourse. Some fifty percent of teenagers in the 15-19 age group had premarital intercourse. Some strategies for dealing with Bahá’í youth on this issue are offered. Quotations from 'Abdu’l-Baha and Shoghi Effendi are used to demonstrate the Bahá’í position with regard to this issue.