Aspects of the anti-gay bill are unconstitutional – President of Humanist Society

President of the Humanist Society, Kwabena Boasiako, has said that portions of the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill popularly known as the anti-gay bill, are unconstitutional.

He explained that the bill when passed, would infringe on the freedom of expression,  freedom he said was guaranteed by the 1992 Constitution.

Speaking on News 360 on TV3 Wednesday, July 5, he said: “In some parts, it is unconstitutional, in some parts as well is not necessary at this point in our development. We recognize that some aspects of the law when applied are going to infringe on freedom of expression, it is going to infringe on our rights to protest, it is basically going to cement an ideology in stone, which is something that I don’t think any of the framers of the constitution considered.”

Parliament debated on the Constitutional, Legal, and Parliamentary Affairs Committee report on the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill popularly known as the anti-gay bill, on Wednesday, July 5.

First Deputy Speaker Joseph Osei Owusu (Joewise) said that Ghanaians should not accept that the cultures of other countries are superior to those of Ghana.

He indicated that Ghana cannot just accept to copy blindly what other countries are practicing.

The Bekwai lawmaker said, “We should never accept that other cultures are superior to ours such that they must insist and demand that we copy the things they do even if it is inconsistent with the way we live our lives and how we want our country to be run.”

Member of Parliament for Okere, Dan Botwe, also indicated that beyond passing the bill, there will be the need to find ways to fight the propagation of the practice of homosexuality.

“Beyond passing the bill, let us exercise internal vigilance,” he said during the parliamentary debate.

Mr Dan Botwe further explained that a time may come when children will go to shops to buy items with colors of homosexuals will be on those items. To that end, he said, vigilance is required by all stakeholders aside passage of the bill to prevent the propagation of homosexuality.

He further described homosexuality as “total madness” and “a satanic force.” “Let us not underestimate this satanic force,” he stressed.

The report highlighted concerns raised by proponents and those who are against the bill.

The opposers of the bill, per the report, contend that “LGBTQ activities form part of what the Constitution contemplates under Article 33 (5) about recognition of cerian rights and freedoms that are considered to be inherent in a democracy and which is intended to secure the rights and freedoms and dignity of the people.

“Consequently, any attempt to prescribe different treatment to different people on the basis of their sexual orientation and gender will be discriminatory and an affront to Article (17) 1 and (2) of the Constitution.”

 

 

 

 

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