Emmanuel Bedzrah, NDC Member of Parliament for Ho West, says he expects President Akufo-Addo to sign the Anti-LGBTQ Bill when the time comes.
Speaking on Citi TV’s The Point of View, he said that more than 90 percent of lawmakers in Parliament support the Bill, which has sparked controversy and anger since it was released last week.
“When it comes to the discussion on the floor, you will see the overwhelming support, and I can tell you that the President will have no option but to assent,” Mr. Bedzrah added.
Prof. Gyimah-Boadi, the co-founder of the Centre for Democratic Development, CDD-Ghana, said he hopes the Bill, which he describes as homophobic, would just “rot away.”
“I can only express the hope that should this Bill pass through Parliament, the President withholds assent to it. I can only hope,” he said.
He also called the private members’ Bill “a terrible squandering of a very vital tool for advancing democratic government.”
The Bill, which has the support of eight MPs, is the first significant move Ghana has made to explicitly criminalize LGBTQ persons.
The bill, dubbed ‘The Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021,’ would, among other things, make certain LGBTQ acts punishable by prison time.
Individuals and groups that fight for the rights of LGBTQ persons or provide assistance risk legal repercussions as well.
The Bill has caused anger among human rights advocates and LGBTQ individuals, although a sizable number of Ghanaians have supported the new law.
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SOURCE: ATLFM ONLINE
