By LETRE SWEETING

Tribune Staff Reporter

lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

SOCIAL Services Minister Obie Wilchcombe says House Speaker Patricia Deveaux is entitled to her views after she said she could not opine on marital rape because she is not married.

Speaker Deveaux’s comments attracted scathing criticisms.

She said because she is not married, she does not know how to “balance the word rape in a relationship”.

“It’s her views,” Mr Wilchcombe said. “Once we bring the legislation to Parliament, she will administer whatever conversation we have on the bills and then the members will vote.”

Mr Wilchcombe also responded to Bahamas Christian Council President Bishop Delton Fernander who, as a recent guest on The Nassau Guardian’s Morning Blend radio show, said outlawing marital rape would lead to civil unions rather than marriages.

“If we remove marriage out of the portion [of the Act], we begin to move marriage,” Bishop Fernander said. “Civil union will come in. Civil unions come in, it removes the term marriage.

“So, marriage has been replaced with civil unions (elsewhere) and we want to say that we’re not going to be the one to open up the door, even if you’re gonna say that’s not the door that’s being opened.”

Mr Fernander did not explain how this would happen.

“I’m not sure what he meant by civil unions, but that’s his view,” Mr Wilchcombe said. “In a democracy we have freedom of speech. All are entitled to their views. What we have to do is to ensure that whatever we do, there is widespread discussion, which I have been talking about.

“(That is) inclusive of the church, which is very important to get the views of the church, and the people of the country generally.

“And I’m not talking about just the people here in New Providence or Grand Bahama, but from Inagua to Bimini, because we have to move with progressive legislation that all people of the Bahamas can live with once it’s passed.”

When asked to respond to critics who have said the government is dragging its feet on decriminalising marital rape consultations, Mr Wilchcombe said: “I’m not sure dragging is the idea, but again criticism is a part of what we go through every day and it’s a part of the democracy we have.

“People will say what they want to say. At the end of the day history will absolve us by the work we do.”