The Majority Leader and Member of Parliament for Effutu Constituency, Honorable Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin has voiced concerns over the recently passed Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill by Parliament.
The Effutu Legislator reacting to the passage of the bill by Parliament expressed reservations about the potential consequences the bill when assent into law may have on individuals engaging in same-sex relationships.
The Majority Leader, Honorable Alexander Afenyo-Markin stated that even though he supported the bill’s overarching objective to prohibit same-sex marriages, he called for precaution in determining the punitive measures for those found in violation.
“I am not here to advocate for LGBTQ rather I am here to look at how our society could reintegrate such people who tend to become victims of such behavior. How we could as a people help deal with such people so that their situation would not become worse?
“Sodom takes its root from the prison, I am a practitioner of the law I have practiced criminal law for many years, and sometimes when your client is sent to prison the police themselves tell you that counsel ensures that your client is not sent to Accra Central prison due to the extreme condition in that prison. Why are we pretending that we don’t know the everyday story on our streets?”
Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, Majority Leader
The Effutu Member of Parliament explaining his reservations about the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, specifically took issue with the custodial sentences proposed in the bill.
His concerns stemmed from the conditions within the country’s prisons, which according to him would not help individuals involved in the act when convicted and incarcerated to reform but rather worsened their conditions.
The legal practitioner thus argued for an alternative approach, suggesting a non-custodial sentence or community service regime, accompanied by compulsory counseling.
Commenting on his previous amendment proposal he filed in Parliament during the consideration of the bill, the Honorable Afenyo-Markin argued that he intended to call for the introduction of rehabilitation and reintegration mechanism into the bill rather than punitive measures, which was proposed by the sponsors of the bill.
Furthermore, the Majority Leader criticized the media for not delving deeper into the bill’s content and instead contributing to a sensationalized narrative on the discourse of the bill.
According to him, a considerable number of Members of Parliament privately shared reservations about the potential repercussions of the bill, expressing fear about openly opposing it.
The Honorable Afenyo-Markin expressed deep concerns over the emotional atmosphere that characterized the discourse of the bill and stated that the hindered detailed discussions of the bill due to the narrow media coverage of the bill did not help the public to get a clear picture of the content of the bill.
Calls For Introduction Of Non-Custodial Sentences Regime
Moreover, the Effutu Member of Parliament called for the need for the country to adopt a non-custodial sentences regime to address issues that are behavioral in nature.
Drawing parallels with persons that are involved in drug addiction, the Majority leader posited that imprisonment of such people would not resolve the problem, likewise persons involved in the act of “gayism or lesbianism”.
“Do you have to convict and incarcerate a drug addict? No, you create a space for rehabilitation and that rehabilitation would require some therapy and another process to get the person out of that behavior.
“You don’t rather put the person in a situation where the behavior would be reinforced. So you say the person is gay and you throw the person into prison, would you get the result, you want, I beg to differ”.
Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, Majority Leader
The Majority Leader further pointed out some serious constitutional issues within the bill and indicated that while the sponsors of the bill attempted to address such concerns at the passage of the bill, a comprehensive resolution was not achieved.
Concluding his statement, the Majority Leader acknowledged the democratic process regarding the passage of the bill and underscored his commitment to accepting its passage by Parliament.
However, the Honorable Afenyo-Markin indicated that the unresolved constitutional issues involving the bill provide avenues for potential legal challenges.
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