South Africa 's Parliament Passes Bill to Legalize Gay Marriages

The move by South Africa 's parliament to approve new legalization recognizing gay marriages has sent shock waves across the entire continent. The National Assembly passed the Civil Union Bill by a majority of 230 to 41 votes. There were three abstentions. The bill provides for the “voluntary union of two persons, which is solemnised and registered by either a marriage or civil union.” It does not specify whether they are heterosexual or homosexual partnerships. The bill now awaits the endorsement of the National Provinces Committee. Thereafter President Thabo Mbeki is required to sign it into law.

The move by the National Assembly came after the country's Constitutional Court ruled last year that the country must by introduce legislation by 21 st Nov 2006 allowing same-sex marriages. The court ruled then that if the deadline it set was not met, the Marriage Act would automatically be changed to apply equally to same-sex partnerships and heterosexual marriages.

The wording of the Bill that was passed by South Africa's parliament quickly brings to mind the Draft Constitution that the majority of Kenyans voted to reject in Nov. 2005. Part of the clause on families was worded as follows: Every adult has a right – (b) to found a family. That was interpreted by the majority of Christians to have been a deliberate loop-hole to create room for people with gay inclinations to adopt children within the confines of the constitution. It was argued that if a lawyer went to court, he/she could exploit the ambiguity in that section to argue a case for a “homosexual couple” seeking to adopt children.

The passing of the Bill is being viewed in some quarters as an attempt by the South African parliament to curry favour with the West for economic reasons. States that recognize homosexual unions are likely to prefer to do business with an African state that recognizes such unions. It might as well be that the passing of the bill was dangled as a carrot for economic favours in return.

Observers are keenly watching to see if any other African nation follows suit. The pressure is real, given that some of the development partners might want to impose that as a condition before they can disburse funds. Poor countries might decide they don't have a choice but to consent to the demands of their benefactors.

It is incumbent on the Christian community in Africa to pressurize their governments to reject any maneuvers to legalize gay unions. The Bible leaves no room whatsoever for gay unions. It refers to them as shameful lusts, unnatural relations, indecent acts and perversion (Rom.1: 24 – 27).

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