The Supreme Court has rejected a petition by Richard Dela Sky, a broadcast journalist and lawyer, who challenged the constitutionality of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill. The seven-member panel made a unanimous decision to dismiss his petition.
Mr. Sky sought to have the court declare the bill unconstitutional and invalid, citing the intense national debate it has sparked. However, the court ruled that the legislative process behind the proposed anti-LGBTQI law was constitutional.
This bill has been highly controversial, as it seeks to make activities related to LGBTQI advocacy illegal. If it were to pass into law, it would impose penalties on individuals who promote or fund LGBTQI-related activities, as well as on those who provide indirect support for such initiatives.
The bill has generated significant debate. Proponents argue that it is essential to protect Ghanaian cultural and family values, which they claim are under threat from foreign ideologies. In contrast, critics, including human rights organizations, have condemned the bill as a violation of fundamental human rights, including freedoms of expression, association, and equality under the law.
These groups argue that the bill would foster an environment of discrimination and persecution, undermining the rights of the LGBTQI community in Ghana. The debate surrounding the bill has become a focal point in the broader discussion of human rights and cultural values in the country.
In addition to Mr. Sky’s petition, equality and inclusion advocate Amanda Odoi also filed a separate legal challenge. Both Odoi and Sky argue that Parliament failed to meet the quorum requirements outlined in Articles 102 and 104 of the Constitution during the legislative process, which they claim rendered the bill’s passage unconstitutional. Their petitions sought to have the bill declared invalid on these grounds.
However, the Supreme Court dismissed both petitions, stating that the bill had not yet become law.
