The Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference has commended the bill put forth by parliament to criminalize homosexuality, revealing that while it is not right to criminalize homosexuals just for being homosexuals, the country is within its right to criminalize such acts.
According to the Catholic Bishops, the draft bill on ‘Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values 2021’ currently in Parliament must be commended.
Contained in a statement issued by the President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference, Most Rev. Mathew Kwasi Gyamfi, it stated that the Church recognizes that the State has a duty to carry out in the matter of homosexuality.
In light of this, it noted that while the Church speaks of them as sins, the State does not use such language.
Prosecuting homosexuality in the country
Furthermore, the group noted that for the State, whose duty it is to enact laws to govern the citizenry, the language used is that of crime.
“Crime may be defined as an action or omission, which constitutes an offence and is usually deemed socially harmful or dangerous and is punishable by law… Thus, we can say that while it is not right to criminalize homosexuals just for being homosexuals, the State is within its right to criminalize the acts of homosexuals in the interest of the nation…”
Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference
Justifying its stance, the Catholic Bishops stated that the draft bill on ‘Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values 2021’ currently in Parliament is in the right direction, as it seeks to enact laws against criminal homosexual acts.
It elaborated that if a homosexual man rapes a teenage boy, that would be deemed a criminal offence, just as the same act carried out by a heterosexual man on a teenage girl would be deemed a criminal offence.
In other words, it explained that these acts are not in the interest of the nation and, indeed, harm the nation.
“For this reason, there must be punitive measures to deal with such situation.”
Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference
Furthermore, the Catholic Bishops highlighted that the lawmakers may decide that a man marrying a man or a woman marrying a woman is not in the interest of the nation since, in the long term, it will have an effect on the size of the population of the country if many people engage in the act.
In such instance, it explained that lawmakers will be within their rights to enact laws against that. In such cases, it further emphasized that it will be right for the lawmakers to criminalize such homosexual actions by punitive measures.
“The bill aims to provide for proper human sexual rights and Ghanaian family values, proscribe LGBTQ+ and related activities, and provide for the protection of children, persons who are victims or accused of LGBTTQQIAAP+ and related activities, and other persons. We commend our lawmakers for the effort and time spent on this bill…”
Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference
Meanwhile, the Catholic Bishops Conference expressed optimism that when the bill is passed into law, it will indeed promote proper human sexual rights and authentic Ghanaian family values which are under threat from homosexual acts.
It underscored that it is also the hope of the Church that the bill will impose punitive measures that are commensurate with the crimes committed.
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