Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has called on the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs committee of Parliament not to be intimidated by anyone regarding the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, popularly known as the Anti-LGBTQ Bill.
According to him, the committee must treat his request with ultimate importance to ensure the bill is passed. Expressing the urgency of the matter, he urged the committee to revert to him if it does encounter any difficulty.
“Please, committee members that we referred the Bill to, we want the report, don’t be intimidated by any person. Please let the report flow, we need to legislate. Our friends just passed their law in Uganda, we may not go the way they have gone; our Constitution is very clear as to the direction we should move. So, we should be guided by that because if we pass any law against the Constitution, it is unconstitutional.”
Alban Bagbin
Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional, Legal, and Parliamentary Affairs is expected to present its report on the anti-LGBTQ bill this week.
According to Samuel Nartey George, Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram and a proponent of the bill, the Attorney General approves of the bill in its current form, requiring it to be laid for the second reading.
Among other things, the Bill proposes jail term for people who engage in same sex. If the Bill becomes law, various forms of support for the LGBTQ community will also be criminalized.
The Speaker’s comments followed President Akufo-Addo dissociation from the Anti-Gay Bill. Answering a question put before him in a joint press conference with US Vice President Kamala Harris, President Akufo-Addo confirmed that the bill is currently before Parliament, which will decide on it, but most of its provisions are being fine-tuned. In light of this, he explained that the statement that there is a legislation in Ghana to that effect is not accurate because parliament is dealing with it and at the end of the process, he will step in.
President confident of outcome of bill
The President expressed confidence that the Parliament will take into account both human rights concerns and the sentiments of the Ghanaian people when reaching a decision on the bill. He noted that the bill is a private member’s bill and not an official legislation of the government, and that substantial modifications have already been made as a result of the Attorney General’s intervention.
“It’s a private member’s bill, this is not an official legislation of the government, but it is one that has been mooted by a handful of private members, so we will see what the findal outcome of it. But my understanding from a recent discussion I had with the chairman of the committee is substantial elements of the bill have already been modified as a result of the intervention of the Attorney General, we will see what the final outcome will be…”
President Akufo-Addo
During her ongoing visit to Ghana, Vice President Kamala Harris discussed human rights issues with President Nana Akufo-Addo, including the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill that could imprison LGBTQ individuals and their advocates.
While Ms. Harris did not directly address the bill, she emphasized the importance of supporting freedom and equality for all people, calling it a human rights issue.
“For the American press who are here, you know that a great deal of work in my career has been to address human rights issues, equality issues across the globe including as well as the LGBTQ community and I feel very strongly about the importance of supporting freedom and supporting and fighting for equality among all people.”
Kamala Harris
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