The Supreme Court has unanimously dismissed a petition filed by broadcast journalist and lawyer Richard Dela Sky, challenging the constitutionality of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill.
The court ruled that the bill has not yet become law.
The journalist and private legal practitioner went to the apex court seeking a declaration that the bill, which has ignited intense national debate, was null and void.
However, the seven-member panel chaired by Justice Lovelace Avril Johnson dismissed the petition and affirmed the constitutionality of the legislative process for the proposed anti-LGBTQI legislation.
Another individual, Amanda Odoi, also filed a similar petition, who also argued that Parliament failed to meet the constitutional quorum requirements outlined in Articles 102 and 104 during the legislative process, rendering the bill’s passage unconstitutional.
But the Supreme Court dismissed both petitions on the grounds that the bill had not yet become law.
Justice Lovelace Johnson, delivering the decision by the court, stated that until a bill receives presidential assent, it does not constitute an enactment subject to judicial review of its constitutionality.
The bill seeks to criminalise activities associated with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI) advocacy.
If passed into law, it would impose penalties on individuals promoting or funding LGBTQI-related activities, as well as those providing indirect support.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
