Ghana's Supreme Court has rejected an injunction application which sought to stop the Speaker of Parliament from allowing the anti-LGBTQ bill to proceed in the legislative body, local media said.
In a unanimous decision, the top court's nine-member panel, chaired by Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, ruled that the applicant had failed to convince the court that an injunction should be granted.
The court made this ruling in a case brought by a researcher, Dr. Amanda Odoi, who alleged that Parliament's work on the proposed law was unconstitutional.
The Ghanaian Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill was proposed by 8 members of Ghana's Parliament in June 2021 and passed its first reading by the legislature in August that year.
On July 5, 2023, the Ghanaian Parliament voted unanimously to pass the bill during the second reading with minor amendments.
The punishment includes jail sentences of up to 10 years for advocating LGBTQ rights and up to 3 years behind bars for engaging in same-sex intercourse.
Guarding African Family Values
The Ghana court's decision mirrors the African continent's drive to get tough on LGBT propaganda, while strengthening the protection of family traditional values.
In late May, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni signed the 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Bill into law after parliamentary approval.
The purpose of the bill, according to Asuman Basalirwa, who introduced it, is to protect Ugandan culture, as well as their religious and family values, "from acts that are likely to promote sexual promiscuity in this country."
The passage of this law triggered a wave of condemnation from the West and US threats to cut financial aid to the East African country, which the Ugandan authorities denounced as "blackmail."
In the same vein, on Wednesday, Namibian MPs endorsed legislation to ban same-sex marriage and punish its supporters. The bill seeks to overturn a Supreme Court ruling that allowed the recognition of same-sex marriages performed overseas.