The Private Members Bill was adopted by Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs on Wednesday to removing section 6 of the Civil Union Act, aimed at the refusal to marry same sex marriages.
Previously state marriage officials could refuse to marry same sex couples if it conflicted with their religious beliefs. Congress of the People (COPE) Member of Parliament (MP), Deidre Carter says that couples would sometimes have to travel to different provinces to find an official to solemnise their marriage.
More than half state marriage officials were unwilling to marry same sex couples says Carter.
“At first in 2017, I actually directed a question to the minister to ask her how many designated marriage officers were exempted from solemnising same sex couple marriages. They then came back to say that 421 out of 1130 designated officers were exempted.”
Carter says that the state – people employed by the state, cannot discriminate, however this will not force churches to marry same sex couples, “This does not affect religious leaders… but it’s absolutely only state employees.”
Click to listen to the interview on SAfm with COPE’s Carter :
