Three bills, including the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, 2021, have been laid and read for the first time in Parliament.
The other two are Criminal Offences (Amendment) Bill, 2021 and Office of the Special Prosecutor (Amendment) Bill, 2021.
The Majority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, on behalf of the Member of Parliament (MP) for Akim Swedru, Kennedy Nyarko Osei, presented the Office of the Special Prosecutor (Amendment) Bill, 2021, whilst Akatsi South MP, Bernard Ahiafor, presented the Criminal Offences (Amendment) Bill, 2021.
Ningo-Prampram MP, Samuel Nartey George, presented the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, 2021.
The bill, which must pass the House of Representatives before being signed into law, is a rare point of agreement between the two leading political parties, NPP and the NDC, who dominate Parliament.
Second Deputy Speaker, Andrew Asiamah Amoako, MP for Fomena, referred the bills to the Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs for consideration and report.
The bill to criminalise gay, bisexual or transgender has received a cross-party support and analysts believe it will win enough backing to become law, despite the shock expressed by the LGBT+ community.
Gay sex is already punishable in Ghana under the Criminal Offences Act 1960 (Act 29) with up to three years in jail and the new bill is seeking to make the promotion and practice of LGBT+ or its advocates and offence with stiffer punishment.
By Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House