The star Online
Friday, November 24, 2006
Linda Daniels
Religious groups who attended public hearings into the same- sex-marriage legislation have questioned the legitimacy of the process and accused MPs of already having made up their minds about the bill.
Yesterday, the National Council of Provinces started its two-day public hearings into the Civil Union Bill.
Many of the same Christian groups that attended the National Assembly's countrywide hearings into the controversial bill attended the NCOP's public hearings yesterday.
However, as the hearings progressed into the afternoon, some of them expressed doubts about the legitimacy of the process, which they claimed did not take their views into account.
Pastor Errol Naidoo from the His People Church accused MPs of having already made up their minds about the bill, because they rejected Christian lobby groups' suggestion of a constitutional amendment to ensure that marriage should only be a union of heterosexual couples.
Naidoo, who opposes same- sex marriages, questioned why the public was invited to make submissions on the bill in the first place.
"If you have already made up your mind Â… you don't need usÂ… So why are we here? What is the purpose of the voice of the people?" asked Naidoo.
Naidoo, the Christian Action Network and the Islamic Unity Convention have advocated that a referendum be held on whether the bill should go ahead as well as a constitutional amendment to have marriage only between heterosexual couples
The Islamic Unity Convention's Magboeba Davids, in opposition to same-sex marriages, said: "In Islamic terms it means putting a halaal stamp on pork; in Jewish terms, placing a kosher stamp on non-kosher food."
The Commission on Gender Equality's Suraya Williams argued that the bill is based on the negative stereotyping of same-sex relationships and that excluding same-sex relationships from the provisions of the Marriage Act was offensive.
Williams said that when providing for the legal recognition of same-sex marriages or unions "it should be done in a manner which would promote equality, dignity and equal protection and enjoyment for all".
ANC MP Tsietsi Tolo warned against using the Bible to justify the opposition to same-sex marriages, as "the Bible was used to justify apartheid".
Tolo also asked the Christian groups present at the hearings whether they wanted parliament to simply ignore the Constitutional Court, which had ruled that same-sex couples should be allowed to enjoy the privileges of marriage and gave parliament a year to change legislation in line with this ruling.
Another round of hearings was to be held today, and the committee has invited written submissions from the public.
A vote on the bill will take place in the NCOP on Monday and it is scheduled to be signed into law by December 1.