Tuesday, 7 August 2001

Local community groups will be demonstrating against changes to the adoption laws to allow homosexuals and lesbians to adopt children. The basis for any strong, healthy family is a mother and a father, and children who grow up in other types of homes are disadvantaged. A lesbian couple is challenging the laws in the High Court today.

Banners telling the tragic truths about fatherless homes will be displayed near the high courts in Cape Town, Pretoria and Bloemfontein:

• 63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes.
• 85% of all children that exhibit behavioural disorders come from fatherless homes.
• 80% of rapists motivated with displaced anger come from fatherless homes.
• 71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes.
• 75% of all adolescent patients in drug abuse centres come from fatherless homes.
• 85% of all youths sitting in prisons grew up in a fatherless home.

God's design is NOT two mothers and no fathers, or two fathers and no mother. Children who grow up in homosexual homes, will be handicapped in life. It is not fair of our society, our government and our courts to establish public policy that pretends that homosexual "families" are normal, healthy and desirable. Public policy should instead work toward mitigating the harmful effects of divorce and single parenting that results in motherless and fatherless homes - not promoting it!

It does not matter whether we think homosexuality (the act of "mating" with a member of the same sex, or the attempt to) is normal or deviant, emotionally healthy or not, the fact is that we should do what is best for the children. People who live homosexual lives claim that they have a right to do what they want in their bedrooms and private lives. But adopting children is not about their "private" lives as it intrudes into the life of children who are too young to make a choice.

Special privileges, like adoption, for men or women who engage in homosexuality, are hotly debated worldwide, with the vast majority of countries, and people across the world, saying 'No, let's stick to what is best for the children.' Homosexual adoptions is not in the "child’s best interests", and therefore not even in keeping with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child or Section 28(2) of the South African Constitution. In South Africa there has been an undemocratic and unfair censorship of the debate on homosexuality.

Literature explaining many facts about homosexuality and homosexual relationships will be handed out to the public. The placard demonstration will be held near the courts in Cape Town, Pretoria and Bloemfontein from 09H30 to 12H00. In Cape Town the demo will be held at the top of Adderley Street near St George's Cathedral. Judge Anna-Marie de Vos of the Pretoria High Court is challenging the adoption laws. Judge Kgomo of the Kimberley High Court is hearing the case.

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