The former Member of Parliament for Jomoro, Samia Yaba Nkrumah, has called on President Akufo-Addo not to assent to the Bill on Human Sexual Rights and Family Values, commonly referred to as the anti-LGBTQ+ Bill.
This Bill, which was passed in Parliament on February 28, 2024, seeks to criminalize LGBTQ+ activities and prohibit their promotion, advocacy, and funding.
It proposes penalties ranging from a 6 month to 3-year jail term for offenders, while those involved in promoting or sponsoring such activities could face 3 to 5 years of imprisonment.
However, the Bill has been opposed by many including the United States Ambassador to Ghana, Virginia Evelyn Palmer, who has threatened to sever business relations with Ghana if it becomes Law.
In support, Samia Nkrumah in an interview with Daily Graphic described the Bill as excessively “harsh and unjust”.
She has expressed her opposition, stressing that the legislation could foster division, a consequence she vehemently opposes.
“I pray the President does not sign it, or assent to it. I believe it is a brutal, harsh and unjust law, and we don’t need it. We are against rape, paedophilia, against all these situations that people seem to be terrified of gays and I think we need to educate ourselves.
But most importantly I don’t support anything that brings division and torments the people of Ghana. We are all Ghanaians, and we need to protect and take care of each other.”
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