The Executive Secretary of the National Coalition for Proper Human Sexual Rights and Family Values, Moses Foh Amoaning has dared opposers of the anti-gay bill to go to court if they feel strongly about the passage of the bill.
He said, in court, the opposers of the bill cannot engage in propaganda and that the sponsors of the bill would face them in the court.
“The truth of the matter is that in law, once a society decides that this sort of behaviour is something we don’t like and therefore we are criminalizing it, you cannot promote it. Otherwise, you will be committing a crime, you are abetting, you are preparing, you are assisting, all of that are offenses under the law,” Mr Foh Amoaning stated in a television interview yesterday.
He continued, “They say they are going to court, the law school is very close to Supreme Court, we are waiting for Audrey Gadzekpo. In the Supreme Court, she won’t get the opportunity to preach propaganda, the court will have a look at the things that they do, we are going to graphically show it, we will show how a woman licks the vagina of another woman in sexual activities that they engage in. So, Audrey, get ready, we are going to expose all these things, don’t think you are coming to the court and go and talk
about human rights, civil rights, no. In the court of law, we will prove the facts and the court will see what you are doing to Ghanaian children.”
Parliament on Wednesday, February 28 passed the Human sexual rights and family values bill, 2021 also known as anti-gay bill after successfully going through all three reading stages.
One of the sponsors of the bill, Ningo-Prampram Member of Parliament (MP) Samuel Nartey George told journalists after the passage that “We want to thank Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu who was very instrumental in passing this bill.”
“The house has stood united, an overwhelming majority of both sides of the house have supported this bill,” he added.
Prior to the passage, a human rights coalition, comprising of CDD Ghana, “the big 18” and others had called on President Akufo-Addo not to assent to the bill in its current state.
Prof Audrey Gadzekpo who is part of the group, at a press conference in Accra on Tuesday, February, 27, 2024 noted that the Bill will infringe on the fundamental human rights of many including the media as enshrined by the 1992 Constitution.
Professor Gadzekpo said “We observed that proposals to amend the Bill to substitute community services for in castration that was made by the Member of Parliament for Effutu, Mr. Afenyo-Markin was unfortunately rejected. Although his amendments were opposed by the majority of the house leading to a removal of the proposed amendments, we appreciate his effort aimed at reforming our justice system.”
On Wednesday, February 21, the then Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin withdrew his amendments to the anti-LGBTIQ+ bill which seeks to impose a prison sentence paving way for the Bill to be considered for passage in the coming days.
“Ghana is a secular and multi-religious country with over 50 ethnic groups with different cultural practices and beliefs. Any attempt to create a single cultural value system for Ghana erases the beautiful cultural mosaic that makes us a unique people.” Professor Gadzekpo posited.
She further explained that “It is for this reason that the constitution abolishes all practices and laws detrimental to people’s health and well-being, even in the name of culture and tradition.”
