The Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2021 is Undemocratic

While we do not support same-sex activities, we believe that the Human Rights and Family Values Bill 2021 is unnecessary, excessive, and undemocratic. We strongly urge the President, His Excellency Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo, to decline to sign it into law, as it puts Ghana at risk of facing severe international consequences that could adversely affect the economic prospects of Ghanaians.

We argue the following:

1. The Criminal Code 1960 (Act 29) provides sufficiently under its Sexual Offences to outlaw the practices that the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill seeks to proscribe. The Bill, therefore, is unnecessary, far-reaching, and inherently exclusive.
2. The Bill violates guaranteed rights under Article 12(2). In essence, the Bill, if signed into law in its current form, will gravely hamper, limit, and significantly roll back the progress we have made in advancing rights in this Fourth Republic.
3. The Bill will fundamentally curtail the freedoms of speech and rights of expression of people guaranteed under Article 21(1) of the 1992 Constitution.

As a result, we call on pro-democracy forces to join us in recommending to President Akufo-Addo not to sign the bill but refer it back to Parliament for amendments to accommodate the rights of people or shelve it altogether, given the provisions in Act 29 that has been regulating same-sex activities in Ghana, since 1960.

Africa Center for Democracy and Socio-economic Development (CDS Africa), is an independent think tank and a vehicle for promoting democracy and socio-economic development in Africa.