Mar Thoma trustee's HIV test-before-marriage suggestion stirs debate
A Mar Thoma Church trustee's call for mandatory pre-marital HIV tests has triggered online debate; the Church says it is a personal view.
A senior clergyman of the Mar Thoma Church has triggered a debate after suggesting that HIV tests should be made compulsory for couples before the Church solemnises their marriage. A video of the remarks made by Rev. K. Thomas, a Clergy trustee, has been circulating on social media.
Speaking at a family gathering organised by the Church in Thiruvananthapuram on August 30, Rev. Thomas said he favoured a system where marriages would be conducted only after the prospective bride and groom had undergone HIV screening. He pointed to the Karnataka government's decision to hold HIV testing and counselling camps in colleges as a model worth emulating.
"I believe that all marriages solemnised in the Mar Thoma Church should be conducted only after the couples have undergone such tests. I am someone who would like to see this implemented," he said.
The priest's comments come in the wake of a recent report indicating a rise in HIV infections among people aged 18 to 35 in Karnataka. Acting on a recommendation from the Karnataka State AIDS Prevention Society, the state government has decided to make such testing mandatory in government, aided, and private colleges.
Rev. Thomas also addressed parents at the gathering, saying his suggestion should not be misconstrued. He added that the purpose of the family meet was to ensure that a bride's body had not been subjected to any form of abuse.
The Mar Thoma Church has, however, distanced itself from the proposal. A source at the Church headquarters in Thiruvalla said the Church has not taken any official position on the matter, describing the remarks as a personal observation by Rev. Thomas.