Accra, March 5, GNA – Mr Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, the Majority Leader in Parliament, Monday said the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2021, also known as the Anti-Gay Bill, is yet to be submitted to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for his assent.
He explained that the Drafting Department of the House was in the process of compiling the Bill.
“There’s some seeming pressure on the presidency regarding the Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill that Parliament passed. Well, the process is that when the bill is passed, it must first be compiled by the Drafting Department. As we speak, as the Leader of the House, I can say on authority that we’ve not completed the process,” Mr Afenyo-Markin said.
The Bill is yet to be sent to the President for signing.
“So, the public needs to know this so that a certain impression is not created out there that Parliament has submitted the Bill to the Presidency. Nothing has moved to the Presidency.”
Addressing the Parliamentary Press Corps, the Majority said: “The final draft will then be presented to the sponsors for their review and subsequent authentication by the Clerk to Parliament, initiating the necessary procedural steps.”
Mr Afenyo-Markin, also the New Patriotic Party Member of Parliament of Effutu, said the clarification was necessitated as a result of the public’s interest and debate concerning the Bill.
The Bill is still undergoing internal parliamentary processes before it could reach the President’s desk for potential approval.
“Mr Speaker is yet to receive the authenticated Bill, the Clerk of Parliament himself has not yet seen it, and the Drafting Department is still compiling. I have been chasing it myself and they said it will require some time because a lot of changes were made,” the Majority Leader noted.
Parliament on Wednesday, February 28, 2024, passed the Bill, which when assented to by the President, would criminalise LGBTQ+ activities, as well as their promotion, advocacy, and funding.
Those found guilty could face a jail term ranging from six months to three years, while those promoting and sponsoring those acts could face a jail term between three to five years.
GNA