Parliament’s Committee on Constitutional, Legal, and Parliamentary Affairs will begin public hearings on the Anti-Gay Bill today, Thursday.
If enacted, the Bill for the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values would clarify the country’s sexual orientation laws.
The Committee has received approximately 150 memoranda on the contentious topic of sexual orientation from religious entities, civil society organizations, and citizens.
The Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council, the Human Rights Coalition, Amnesty International and Advocates for Christ are among the organizations slated to testify before the committee on the first day of hearing.
The contributions from the organizations will be included in the Committee’s report prior to it being reviewed by the whole house.
Meanwhile, Alban Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament, has urged for tolerance during the public discussion over the anti-LGBTQI+ law presently before Parliament.
He said that Parliament would do all possible to foster an atmosphere in which everyone may express their views on the controversial bill.
Alban Bagbin, speaking to Parliament upon the reopening of sittings on Tuesday, October 26, 2021, stated cool heads should prevail throughout the bill’s dispassionate deliberation.
“This bill continues to generate a lot of interest and in fact has taken some different dimensions. For me, this is healthy for a maturing democracy like Ghana. It is important that we allow various shapes of opinions to canvass their positions on the bill… As Ghanaians, I want to plead with us to accommodate the views of others. Whatever perceptions we have, let’s maintain the peace and cool heads,” he said.
Around 20 Members of Parliament launched proceedings to get a bill approved criminalizing LGBTQ+ activity and advocacy in the nation, as well as proposing prison sentences for such conduct.
The law, called ‘The Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021,’ has elicited conflicting reactions from the public, with some criticizing it and others labeling it as cruel.
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