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11 May 1995
OBJECTION IN RESPECT OF PROPOSED INCLUSIONS IN OUR NEW
CONSTITUTION
I strongly object to the following issues currently
being debated with a view to inclusion in the new constitution.
- Abortion
(present exemptions excluded) should be retained as ILLEGAL in the new
constitution. Extending the life of convicted murderers
but denying the right
to live to about-to-be-born human beings is unacceptable.
- Pornography
is engulfing our country. There is a pressing need for a censorship board to
control pornography - Pornography is too
readily available in libraries and
shops - Pollution of the minds of our children is even more to be fought against
than pollution
of the environment.
- The
A.N.C. proposal that in the New Constitution South Africa should become a
Secular State. Very serious implications flow from
this. Firstly the very word
'God Almighty' will be removed from the New Constitution. We do so at our
peril. Consider History.
See where nations landed in the end when they
excluded God from constitution and practice! All religious freedom will be
attached.
Freedom of religion will be a thing of the past for South Africa. I
strongly object! The people have a right to their religion
- no matter which -
all include God - Almighty!
- It
is suggested that government buildings be made out-of-bounds for religious
action, that religious activities be confined to churches/mosques
etc and
possibly (a rumour only?) that open public gatherings not be possible for
religious groups. This is restriction of religious
liberty - religious groups
have as much right as pop groups to pursue their legitimate goals in open air.
And to suggest that a
government official or school teacher be prevented from
using buildings for religious purposes sounds like overt restriction of
religious
liberty. As a matter of fact it smacks of the
KREMLIN,
- Government
officials should be allowed to hold religious office, and vice versa.
The Government of any day surely needs the input that church and other leaders
have to offer.
- Capital
punishment should be retained as an option for the judicial system - as a
deterrent to murderers, and to allow the natural
justice of a life-for-a-life to
take its course. Let us not extend too merciful a hand to those who wilfully
take life, while taking
away the rights of the about-to-be-born human
foetus.
- Religious
groups (I speak as a Christian) have very strongly held beliefs that
homosexuality is sinful. I object to the enshrining
of gay rights in the
constitution - that would be legitimizing, something that is inherently and
cardinally wrong. It is dangerous
to attempt to legislate that religious groups
recognize homosexuality as carrying legitimate sanction! While not wanting to
persecute
homosexuals for their life-styles I strongly object to it being
legalized!
- Please
retain the trinity in the constitution. The majority of South Africans are
culturally Christian, and to attempt to write a
constitution which foists a
minority view (be it atheism, agnosticism, New Age or whatever) on the
population will be to go against
the spirit of the new constitution which is all
about majority and not minority rule.
A E BUTLER
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