{"id":156109,"date":"2024-02-26T22:21:24","date_gmt":"2024-02-26T22:21:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2024\/02\/26\/anti-gay-bill-questionable-wont-stand-the-test-in-court-afenyo-markin\/"},"modified":"2024-02-26T22:21:24","modified_gmt":"2024-02-26T22:21:24","slug":"anti-gay-bill-questionable-wont-stand-the-test-in-court-afenyo-markin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2024\/02\/26\/anti-gay-bill-questionable-wont-stand-the-test-in-court-afenyo-markin\/","title":{"rendered":"Anti-gay bill questionable, won\u2019t stand the test in court \u2013 Afenyo-Markin"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has expressed concerns about the constitutionality of the proposed Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values, popularly known as the anti-LGBTQ+ bill currently under consideration by Parliament.<\/p>\n<p>He believes it has significant legal flaws and would not withstand scrutiny in court.<\/p>\n<p>Afenyo-Markin previously advocated for adjustments to the bill, arguing that punitive measures would not be effective in achieving its purported goal of rehabilitation.<\/p>\n<p>He reiterated these concerns in an interview with Bernard Avle on <strong>The Point of View<\/strong> on <strong>Citi TV<\/strong> on Monday.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think the law in its present form has questionable constitutional issues. The law as I see it, from how I\u2019ve seen it, cannot stand any serious test in any constitutional court. I think that the law would have serious challenges at the Supreme Court. If it faces a constitutionality test, it will fail. Not the entire law, but aspects of it, will fail. That\u2019s my view,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>The Effutu legislator went on to question the effectiveness of the proposed law in achieving its stated aim of reforming LGBTQ+ individuals.<\/p>\n<p>He also expressed concerns that the bill could stifle free speech by reintroducing the previously abolished criminal libel law.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou want people to reform, is that the way to help them reform? I thought that is not the way to go about it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Afenyo-Markin also disclosed that some Members of Parliament have been unable to publicly criticize the bill for fear of victimization.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe way the whole thing was introduced, it created some fear among legislators, that if I don\u2019t support it, it means I am supporting a man to marry a man and supporting a woman to marry a woman, so I won\u2019t touch it. But, If we pay attention to the details, we can come up with a law that will be acceptable to all.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Afenyo-Markin emphasized the need for a more nuanced approach to the bill.<\/p>\n<p>He believes that through careful consideration and revisions, a law addressing the concerns outlined in the bill can be developed while upholding constitutional principles and individual rights.<\/p>\n<p>Parliament, earlier in February, approved a three-to-five-year jail term for individuals who willfully promote or sponsor LGBTQ activities, while those caught in the act are to be sentenced to a minimum of 6 months and a maximum of 3 years.<\/p>\n<p>During a clause-by-clause amendment of the bill on the promotion of proper human sexual rights and Ghanaian family values, Mr Afenyo-Markin stated that the punitive action would not aid in the rehabilitation of the culprit.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2013<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Explore the world of impactful news with CitiNewsroom on WhatsApp!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Click on the link to join the Citi Newsroom channel for curated, meaningful stories tailored just for YOU: https:\/\/whatsapp.com\/channel\/0029VaCYzPRAYlUPudDDe53x<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>No spams, just the stories that truly matter! #StayInformed #CitiNewsroom #CNRDigital<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has expressed concerns about the constitutionality of the proposed Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values, popularly known as the anti-LGBTQ+ bill currently under consideration by Parliament. He believes it has significant legal flaws and would not withstand scrutiny in court. Afenyo-Markin previously advocated for adjustments to the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":156110,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-156109","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-local-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Anti-gay bill questionable, won\u2019t stand the test in court \u2013 Afenyo-Markin - Ghanamma.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2024\/02\/26\/anti-gay-bill-questionable-wont-stand-the-test-in-court-afenyo-markin\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Anti-gay bill questionable, won\u2019t stand the test in court \u2013 Afenyo-Markin - Ghanamma.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has expressed concerns about the constitutionality of the proposed Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values, popularly known as the anti-LGBTQ+ bill currently under consideration by Parliament. 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