1. DFL will congratulate Parliament on opting for a Civil Unions Bill rather than any alteration to the Marriage Act. DFL will thank the Committee for undertaking the onerous task of touring the country and holding public hearings in each Province.
2. DFL will stress that the Bill does meet the parameters set by the Constitutional Court in that 'status' is a legal concept derived from the authority of the legislative body creating the legal partnership. Since civil unions will derive their legal status from the National Parliament of South Africa, they will be equal in status to marriage which derives its legal standing from the same Parliament.
3. DFL will submit that clause 11 of the Bill confuses and misleads and should be deleted. For a gay couple to 'refer' to their union at the ceremony as 'marriage' is misleading and the certificate they receive immediately afterwards will demonstrate that. Such deception might lead to legal action against the Magistrate. Furthermore any such reference deeply offends the vast majority of South Africans as has been shown in the Provinces.
4. Internationally, the case against same-sex 'marriage' has been greatly strengthened since the Constitutional Court considered the matter in that 41 out of the 42 States in the US which have considered have now come out against 'marriage' for gays. The one dissenter, Massachusetts, is to reconsider the matter before the year-end.
5. The vast majority of South Africans maintain the sentiment that "marriage" is a voluntary union between a man and a woman. DFL is therefore calling on Parliament to amend the Constitution to define "marriage" as a voluntary union between a man and a woman.

Doctors for Life International represents more than 1300 medical doctors and specialists, three quarters of whom practice in South Africa. DFL was founded as a South African organisation in 1991 and has spread across the globe.