Kwame Anyimadu Antwi, Chairman of the Constitutional, Legal, and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, has cautioned the National Democratic Congress (NDC) minority in parliament against politicizing the Proper Human Rights and Ghanaian Family Value bill, stating that such actions could impede the bill’s passage.
Addressing the media in parliament, Chairman Anyimadu revealed that his committee had received over 200 recommendations from stakeholders.
The committee held six sessions and conducted nine public hearings, with each hearing costing over a hundred and forty Ghana cedis. He emphasized that the time and funds invested in the bill demonstrates the majority’s commitment to its passage, highlighting that the money spent on this private member bill exceeded that of other government businesses in the house.
The committee, consisting of 18 members, reached a consensus and presented a report on July 5, 2023, advocating for the bill’s passage, which is currently under consideration.
Chairman Anyimadu addressed concerns regarding the bill’s prioritization, pointing out that several other bills, including the Intestate Succession Bill, the Ghana Industrial Property Office Bill 2023, and the Chartered Institute of Restructuring and Insolvency Practitioners Bill 2023, were introduced before the anti-gay bill.
He questioned the minority’s insistence on special attention to the LGBTQI+ bill.
Highlighting Section 104 of the Criminal Offences Act, Act 29, passed in 1960, Mr. Anyimadu emphasized that the committee revisited the legislation, clarifying that it criminalizes unnatural carnal knowledge.
He noted that Act 29, a principal legislation on criminal offences in Ghana, specifically prohibits unnatural canal knowledge, dispelling misconceptions about its scope.