South Africa's National Assembly today approved by a vote of 230-41 (with 3 abstentions) a controversial Civil Unions Bill that would make the country the first in Africa to approve same-sex marriage. The bill permits marriage officials to refuse to perform a same-sex marriage ceremony on religious or personal grounds. (Voice of America).
African Christian Democratic Party leader Kenneth Meshoe condemned the action in religious terms. The Mail & Guardian reports that he called the passage of the bill the saddest day in Parliament's history. He said that God considered homosexuality "an abomination". He warned that voting in favor of same-sex marriage was a rejection of God's laws, and said that MPs who did so would face divine wrath. The National Council of Provinces also needs to approve the Bill for it to become effective. Last year, South Africa's Constitutional Court ruled that the 1996 Constitution's prohibition on sexual orientation discrimination guarantees the right of gay men and lesbians to marry. The court gave the government until December 1 to extend marital rights to all same-sex couples.
