Mafa Moleko
Lesotho could be breaking barriers of morality and social stereotypes in the not-so-long future by legalizing both same-sex marriages and termination of pregnancies.
According to Member of Parliament for the Mabote constituency and Chairperson of the Parliamentary Social Cluster Committee, Fako Moshoeshoe all people are equal before the law, adding that everyone also has a right to choose what they want do with their bodies.
Speaking at a Mabote community gathering about the counter domestic violence bill this week, Moshoeshoe indicated that as soon as people appreciate the spirit of this bill, acts and or cases of gender-based violence would greatly dwindle.
He pointed out that it is time that the society come to terms with the fact people have their own choices, preferences and orientations to which they lean hence should be respected for such as fellow human beings, adding for example that it is time that people made peace with the fact that there are people prefer to live their lives as homosexuals who are also people like us. Moshoeshoe further said that gays and lesbians are being mistreated just because Basotho do not understand them.
“The gays and lesbians are people like us, they deserve respect and acceptance among the community, and therefore we need to stop treating them as though they are not people,†he said.
Moshoeshoe told this publication that Lesotho is herding to a point where people the same sex will be allowed to marry legally.
Meanwhile, Moshoeshoe indicated that it is time that Basotho began coming to terms with the fact that there are times when women would rather abort a pregnancy than carry it full term. He said as much as it remains illegal and socially immoral, truth is that droves of Basotho women either cross over to neigbouring South Africa to have it done clinically and legally, or go to the black market and attain unhealthy and unacceptable items to carry-out abortion because it remains illegal in Lesotho.
“Even though abortion is illegal in Lesotho, thousands of Lesotho girls die trying to carry out the abortions.
“When the international borders were opened, many of your children would go to the neighboring country for abortion, and some of them carryout the unsafe abortion and end up losing their lives…†he added.
Moshoeshoe stressed the importance of abortion as what Basotho have to consider and think deeply about it for the safety of their lives especially for the lives of the young girls.
Furthermore, Moshoeshoe said that as per the bill, everyone is free to be and live their lives as they see fit, hence for instance, a widow cannot be forced to marry her late husband’s brother simply to continue the family legacy against their will.
