Ghanatodayonline.com News, Politics, Health, Education & More
Due to its failure to obtain presidential assent before to the end of the 8th parliament, President John Mahama has proclaimed the Proper Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, also referred to as the Anti-LGBTQ Bill, to be essentially dead.
In a meeting with the Catholic Bishops, President Mahama clarified that the rejection of the bill offers a chance for a more inclusive discussion on the issue.
“I believe we should have a conversation about it again so that, if we decide to move the bill forward, it is done with a broader consensus,” he stated.
In order to secure broader support and consultation with all pertinent parties, the President recommended that the bill be reintroduced as a government-sponsored bill instead of a private member’s bill.
“It probably should be a government bill, with the government backing it after thorough consultation with all the stakeholders, to determine the best way to move it forward,” he proposed.
President Mahama also emphasized the need of teaching family values in schools rather than just through legislation.
“If we teach our values in schools, we won’t need a bill to enforce our family values. Instead of passing the family values bill, we should focus on agreeing on a curriculum that instills these values in our children as they grow up so that legislation isn’t necessary,” Mahama stated.
The President stated that he was eager to have more conversations on the matter and was anticipating a review conference with the goal of coming to an agreement.
“I am looking forward to this review conference to come to a consensus on some of these issues,” he added.
Source: Ghanatodayonline.com
