By Savannah Pokuaah Duah
President John Dramani Mahama says that the Proper Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, commonly referred to as the Anti-Gay Bill, is effectively dead, as it failed to receive presidential assent before the expiration of the previous parliament.
In a meeting with the Catholic Bishops, President Mahama emphasised that the bill’s demise presents an opportunity for a broader consensus on the issue.
“I do think that we should have a conversation on it again so that all of us, if we decide to move that bill forward, move it forward with a consensus,” he stated.
President Mahama suggested that the bill should be reintroduced as a government bill, rather than a private member’s bill, to ensure broader support and consultation with stakeholders.
“It probably should be a government bill with government behind it after consultation with all the stakeholders to see how we’re able to move this forward,” he proposed.
President Mahama also stressed the importance of inculcating family values in children through education, rather than relying solely on legislation.
“If we’re teaching our values in school, we won’t need to pass a bill to enforce our family values. More than giving the family values bill is as agreeing on a curriculum that inculcates these values into our children as they’re growing up so that we don’t need to legislate it,” he explained.
The President expressed his eagerness to engage in further discussions on the matter, looking forward to a review conference to achieve consensus.
“So I’m looking forward to this review conference to come to some consensus on some of these issues,” he concluded.
