Some fifteen lawyers, academics, and civil society professionals have filled a memorandum challenging the anti-gay legislation submitted to Parliament.
The professionals in their memorandum described the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021, as an “impermissible invasion of the inviolability of human dignity.”
The private members’ bill being sponsored by eight parliamentarians seeks to criminalize LGBTQ+ activities.
It is their argument that the bill challenge Ghana’s constitution and democracy.
Among the signatories to the memo are Professor Kofi Gyimah-Boadi, Dr. Rose Kutin-Mensah, Professor H. Kwasi Prempeh, Professor Audrey Gadzekpo, Professor Kwame KariKari, Akoto Ampaw, and Professor Raymond Atuguba.
The memo comes after parliament recently published a notice asking Ghanaians Ghanaians to send memos on the Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill.
The professionals stated that “the proposers of this far-reaching claim have not provided any data or evidence to suggest that there is such a threat, beyond a resort to some dogmatic religious tenets and so-called Ghanaian family values.”
On the issue of religion, they further argued that “Christ’s message was/is that we should love our neighbour and not be judgmental and promote the hate and bigotry that many self-styled Christians exhibit and seek to impose on Ghanaian society.”
In addition, they stressed that Ghana was a secular democracy in line with Article 18 of the constitution, “not a theocratic Christian or Islamic Republic or an African traditional monarchy or chiefdom.”
“In other words, while it allows Christian, Islamic, African traditional and other religious beliefs and practices to exist in harmony with one another as fundamental rights, our Constitution rightfully forbids the imposition of a religious dogma, whether Christian or Islamic or traditional on Ghanaians.”
Meanwhile, they have also referenced Supreme Court judgements like NPP v. IGP in November 1992 which affirmed the right of the people to assemble and demonstrate against the Public Order Decree 1972.
“In countries that practice true democracy, supporters and opponents of every conceivable cause are given freedom to associate and express their views,” the memo referenced a ruling by the judge.
The fifteen professionals want the Parliamentary Select Committee on Constitutional, Legal, and Parliamentary Affairs to reject the Bill and “not to create a society where the state through legislation imposes one view of ‘proper human sexual rights’.”
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
