Glenys Newbury is the Co-Director of HLI-South Africa.
(This article courtesy of HLI Reports, a publication of Human Life International.)
by Glenys Newbury
The situation in South Africa regarding morality and the sanctity of life issues is indeed most grave. Perhaps this statement will come as a shock to many who think that after the apartheid era vanished, South Africa became a wonderfully democratic and just state with a marvelous bill of rights. Nothing could be further from the truth. Morality in South Africa has fallen apart.
Except for the People’s Republic of China, South Africa has the world’s worst abortion law. Abortion is the norm and it was forced through the Parliament by Mr. Nelson Mandela and his government against the overwhelming opposition of the South African people. All the surveys showed that people were totally against it, but they pushed it through and open abortion became law in 1997. In forcing this murderous law on South Africa, Mr. Mandela and his party were aided and abetted by all the well-known international groups: the Rockefeller Foundation, the World Bank, Planned Parenthood and the usual consortium of anti-life people. Many people may not be aware that Archbishop Desmond Tutu also played a very important part in bringing abortion to South Africa. He actively promotes the murder of unborn babies in South Africa.
The African International Congress and its various agencies have tried regularly to force more abortion on South Africa and to ingratiate it into the culture. Recently, pro-lifers discovered that parliamentary hearings were being held in Cape Town, organized by the ANC Portfolio Committee on Health and the Reproductive Rights Alliance. During these two-day hearings many speakers promoted the South Africa abortion act. The main thrust of these hearings was to plan how they can force doctors to perform abortions and circumvent the South African conscious clause. While news of these hearings was a surprise to pro-life groups, the anti-life groups seem to have known about it for a long time judging by the slides and other material they had available for their talks. No pro-lifers were allowed to give any evidence whatsoever, solely pro-abortionists.
Birth control is another big issue in South Africa. A vast majority of South Africans—even Catholics—use birth control supplied liberally and free of charge by the Health Department. These drugs and devices are freely given to minor children without the consent of their parents. The blatant disregard for the rights of parents is also embodied in the abortion law, euphemistically known as the “choice of termination of pregnancy bill,” which permits minor girls to be aborted without parental knowledge and consent.
The morning-after pill is freely available, as is RU-486. Powerful anti-fertility hormone injections are also given to women of all ages, including very young mothers who have just given birth. The mothers are told that it will help their milk production. Planned Parenthood of South Africa and its various front organizations such as the “loveLife” campaign, together with the government and aided by vast sums of money from overseas agencies have open access to the South African children.
The state has entrusted the loveLife campaign with the task of “teaching sexuality” to South Africans. They have been training school children and university students to be youth counselors and peer counselors. They have even infiltrated the school system by sponsoring an inter-school debate held every year, and they are paying youth counselors up to1,000 rand a day (which is about $100 a day) plus expenses to coach the children for these debates.
The South African Law Commission, an agency of the South African government, is currently dealing with three main issues: euthanasia, domestic partnerships and the revision of the Childcare Act of 1983. Regarding euthanasia: The world’s most liberal euthanasia law has been in limbo for several years in South Africa. The draft bill titled, “The End of Life Decisions Act of 1999,” was put before Parliament in August 1999 and to date has not been discussed or voted on. But there are rumors that it will be coming up soon. The proposed legislation includes withholding of food and water from those who are unable to feed themselves and those who are fed by artificial means.
The domestic partnership legislation looks at three questions: should recognition be granted to people in domestic partnerships, should they be given the same rights and obligations as married persons, and should the law of marriage be extended to same-sex couples. “Domestic partnerships,” of course, could be people living under one roof without an intimate relationship: parents moving in with their children, children moving in with their parents, siblings or friends living together in a house, students sharing a house or even a group of AIDS orphans living together. Thus domestic partnership regulations would redefine the concept of marriage and bring chaos into the legal system.
Regarding the revision of the Childcare Act: Chapter four deals with childhood (from birth to 18 years) but of course the unborn are completely excluded. Chapter eight addresses the child/parent relationship and also redefines the domestic partnership proposal to allow for same-sex and heterosexual co-habitating partners. It also includes language regarding “the protection of health rights of children”—doublespeak for abortion and contraception. While there are many necessary changes, it is obvious that parents will be stripped of their right to decision-making and the care of their children. This clause has been very carefully planned and is aimed to reinforce the abortion law. By giving children these “reproductive rights,” this law effectively blocks any chance of legal challenge. Also, they have asserted that a child 12 years or older and “of sound mind” is considered competent to refuse any life-sustaining medical treatment or the continuation of such treatment with regard to specific illness that he or she may be suffering from. Thus parents would have no rights over their child’s decisions.
In order to give a more complete picture of the moral cesspit that is the new South Africa, I need to very briefly mention the following: crime and violence are out of control; homosexuality is fully embodied in our new constitution; prostitution is normalized and we now call the prostitutes “sex workers”; pornography is freely available and is broadcast on state-controlled television services; and the list goes on. The state is now considering legalizing the use of hashish or, as it is known in South Africa, “daha.” Even the growing of hashish is becoming increasing recognized as a legitimate agricultural activity that allows poor rural farmers to support themselves.
In the face of this abysmal moral degradation and decay the voice of the Catholic Church in South Africa, which was so vocal during the apartheid era, has been almost completely silent. It has been silent in public and silent from the pulpit. The evils of abortion, contraception and abortifacient birth control drugs are never spoken about. Catholics in the pews, including our young people, are not taught about the evils of a freewheeling sexuality. Unfortunately, this reflects the state of the church. When the Church is healthy, society is healthy; when the Church is weak, as it is now, society is weak. In South Africa, the light of truth has been hidden under a bushel. The Church and most Catholics have been passive and largely disinterested spectators to the moral devastation of our country. Our only hope is that with the continued help of HLI we might be able to strengthen the Catholic Church in South Africa and thus eventually bring back respect for human life. But we can only do it with your help.
