Go to the Supreme Court if you are convinced-Foh-Amoaning dares Pro-LGBTQI+ Coalition

The Executive Secretary of the National Coalition for Proper Human Sexual Rights and Family Values, Moses Foh-Amoaning has dared the coalition against the anti-LGBTQI+ bill currently before Parliament.

He suggested to the Coalition to go to the Supreme Court if they believe they have a case.

According to him, the position being propounded by the Coalition has no basis in Law, both locally and internationally.

“That’s a matter of law so if you want to quote the human rights law, that’s the position. I’m challenging the professors to show me where the Supreme Court held that gender under the constitution means other than male or female or sex incorporates sexual orientation,” he said.

“If they want, they should go to the Supreme Court. We are ready with writs and prepared to meet them. It was for a strategic reason that we are only waiting for this law to be passed,” he added.

Mr.Amoaning made this statement on Good Evening Ghana on Tuesday, October 12, 2021, hosted by Paul Adom Otchere.

Eight members of Ghana’s Parliament have jointly submitted a private bill to push for the criminalization of LGBTQI+ activities in the country.

The bill, which is termed a ‘Bill on the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values’, was presented to Speaker, Alban Bagbin on Tuesday, June 29, 2021.

The 36-page bill currently before Parliament seeks to criminalize the promotion, advocacy, funding, and acts of homosexuality in the country.

Last week, Fifteen renowned legal, academic, and civil society professionals including Professor Kofi Gyimah-Boadi, Dr. Rose Kutin-Mensah, Professor H. Kwasi Prempeh, Professor Audrey Gadzekpo, Professor Kwame KariKari, Akoto Ampaw, and Professor Raymond Atuguba submitted a memorandum challenging the anti-gay legislation.

In the memorandum, they argued that the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021, which seeks to criminalize LGBTQ+ and adjacent activities, is an “impermissible invasion of the inviolability of human dignity.”

To push the anti-LGBTQ+ will be to challenge Ghana’s constitution and democracy, they also argued in the 18-page document.

Moreover, The Coalition of Human Rights has responded in a memorandum to Parliament, stating that the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, remains inconsistent with Ghana’s international obligations.

The memo for instance states the Bill is incompatible with Articles;

1 and 2 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;

1 (3) of the United Nations Charter

2, 3, and 26 the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)

2 (2) and 4 the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)

2 of the Convention of the Rights of the Child (CRC)

1(1) and 7 of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of Migrant Workers and Members of their Families

2, 3, 18 (3)-(4), 28 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights

Furthermore, the Religious Community in Ghana has also strongly declared its stance for the Anti LGBTQI Bill currently before Parliament and urged the Legislature to see to its passage into Law.

The Church of Pentecost indicated that it would campaign against Members of Parliament who oppose the anti-LGBT bill currently in Parliament.

The Church whose members make up an estimated 10% of the country’s population had noted that parliamentarians are morally obliged to pass the laws that are of interest to the majority of Ghanaians. In light of the belief that homosexuality has no place in Ghanaian society, the church is urging Parliament to reflect this position and pass the Proper Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill with utmost urgency.

Mr. Amoaning further indicated that the issue of same-sex rights was brought before a European Court but the judges unanimously held that LGBTQ+ rights do not belong to the international human rights law.

“The issue of same-sex rights was brought before 47 judges of the European Court of Human Rights. The court is the largest and most experienced human rights court in the whole world. The issue of same-sex rights took them two years,” he noted.

“They looked at anthropology, looked at positive law, natural law. They went through everything and 47 of them were unanimous that LGBTQ+ rights do not belong to the international human rights law. And that if a particular country doesn’t admit of those rights, it is not breaching any international law or rule of equality or discrimination,” he ended.