By Staff Reporter
WINDHOEK, March 22 — The Supreme Court in Namibia has overturned a previous decision that granted citizenship to the son of a gay couple. The couple’s four-year-old son was born via surrogacy in South Africa, and the Namibian father and his Mexican partner were listed on the South African birth certificate as parents.
The Namibian authorities demanded a DNA test to prove that one of the child’s parents was Namibian, but the couple refused to undergo the test. In 2021, a local court granted the child Namibian citizenship, but the government appealed, arguing that the birth had not been registered with Namibian authorities within a year.
The Supreme Court agreed with the government’s argument and ruled that the child was not entitled to Namibian citizenship by descent. Homosexuality is illegal in Namibia, but the sodomy law is rarely enforced. The couple expressed disappointment with the decision, while South Africa remains the only African country that allows same-sex marriage.
– Namibia Daily News
