Politics of Tuesday, 30 November 2021
Source: www.ghanaweb.live
2021-11-30Anti-LGBTQ+ bill: You can pick up private bill on adultery - Sam George tells Ursula Owusu
Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram, Sam Nartey George
Don’t pollute the focus of this bill with adultery or fornication, say Anti-LGBTQ+ sponsors
Renowned activists and academicians want parliament to reject ‘undemocratic’ anti-LGBTQ+ Bill
Parliament receives over 100 memoranda on LGBTQ+ bill
The leader of the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian
Read full articleFamily Values Bill before parliament, Sam Nartey George, has suggested to Ursula Owusu to pick up a private member’s bill on adultery if she thinks there is a need to criminalize the act.
According to him, the focus of the anti-LGBTQ+ bill has nothing to do with adultery or fornication therefore nobody should pollute the bill with adultery or fornication.
His comment was in response to a question by Member of Parliament for Ablekuma West, Ursula Owusu, as to whether or not they would be amenable to adding something including adultery and all that in the bill “…If you want it expanded to include that (adultery and fornication), there are still 267 member of parliament that could do that, the honourable Ursula Owusu could pick up a private member bill on adultery and fornication. I have not come across any group of adulteries or fornicators who are asking for society to recognize their rights to adultery. They are apples and oranges,” Sam George said.
In addition to the response, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor added that the issue of adultery has been addressed in the Matrimonial causes act section 3, therefore nobody should pollute the focus of this bill with adultery or fornication.
“…adultery is already provided for under our matrimonial clauses act section 2 thereabout. I am saying that it is already provided. If this house comes to the determination that you want to criminalize adultery it is right for the proponent to propose it, and whether this house will adopt it, that is fine but our bill is not addressing adultery and that is not the focus of this bill. Nobody should pollute the focus of this bill with adultery or fornication.”
The Constitutional, Legal, and Parliamentary Affairs Committee of Parliament Monday continued a series of public hearings on the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021, also known as the LGBTQ+ bill.
This comes after the suspension of the first hearing on Thursday, November 11, 2021, due to time constraints.
Background LGBTQ+ bill
A team of 8 MPs led by Samuel Nartey George have jointly submitted a private bill to push for the criminalization of LGBTQI+ activities in the country.
The Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021 was laid in the House on Monday, August 2 and read for the first time.
Second Deputy Speaker, Andrew Asiamah Amoako, subsequently referred the Bill to the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Committee for consideration.
He urged the public to submit memoranda on the bill.
It is based on this a group of 18 renowned lawyers, academicians and other professionals sent a memorandum to parliament for the bill to be thrashed, stating that it violates the fundamental human right guaranteed in the constitution.
Ghanaians have, however, bashed them for their position against the bill but they have clarified that their call for the bill to be thrashed is based on the fact that it violates all the fundamental human rights in the constitution and not that they are in support of gayism and lesbianism.
