Mar Thoma Church trustee’s call for mandatory HIV test before marriage sparks debate

A call by Mar Thoma Church Clergy trustee K. Thomas to make HIV testing mandatory for couples before marriage in the Church has sparked a debate online, after a video of his remarks surfaced in public domain.

Speaking at a family meet organised by the Church in Thiruvananthapuram on August 30, Rev. Thomas said he favoured a system under which marriages in the Mar Thoma Church would be solemnised only after the prospective bride and groom had undergone HIV tests.

“The Karnataka government is conducting HIV tests on all campuses. 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. His remarks come against the backdrop of a recent report of a rise in HIV infections among people aged between 18 and 35 in Karnataka.

Following the report, and acting on the recommendation of the Karnataka State AIDS Prevention Society, the Karnataka government has decided to make HIV testing and counselling camps mandatory in government, aided and private colleges.

“The parents gathered here should not take offence at what I am saying. When a girl is brought into the church as a bride, the purpose of this family gathering is to ensure that her body has not been subjected to any form of abuse,” the priest added.

The Mar Thoma Church, meanwhile, sought to distance itself from the suggestion, describing it as a personal observation by Rev. Thomas. “The Church has not taken any official position in this regard,” a source at the Church headquarters in Thiruvalla said.