I expect ‘Nana Addo to assent to Anti-LGBTQI Bill’ when it comes – Ho West MP

​​Emmanuel Bedzrah, NDC Member of Parliament for Ho West, has indicated that he expects President Akufo-Addo to assent to the Anti-LGBTQI+ Bill when the time comes.

Speaking on Accra based Citi TV monitored by myactiveonline.com, he said over 90 per cent of legislators in Parliament were in support of the Bill that has courted controversy and outrage since it was leaked last week.

“You will see overwhelming support when it comes to the debate on the floor, and I can assure you that President will have no other choice but to assent,” Mr Bedzrah said.

But the co-founder of the Centre for Democratic Development, CDD-Ghana, Prof. Gyimah-Boadi, says he hoped the Bill, which he described as homophobic, is made to just “rot away.”

“I can only express the hope that should this Bill pass through Parliament, the President withholds assent to it. I can only hope,” he said.

He had also described the private members’ Bill as “a complete waste of a very important instrument for promoting democratic governance.”

The Bill, which is being backed by eight MPs, is the first major step Ghana has taken to clearly criminalize LGBTQI+ activities in the country in clear terms.

Titled,  ‘The Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021’, it will among other things ensure jail terms for some LGBTQ activities. Groups and individuals who advocate for the rights of LGBTQ people or offer support also face sanctions under the law.

The Bill has sparked outrage from human rights activists and persons sympathetic to LGBTQI+ people, but a significant number of Ghanaians have welcomed the proposed legislation.

By: Stella Annan | myactiveonline.com Twitter @activetvgh

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