General News of Tuesday, 9 March 2021

Source: GNA

Government should come tough on LGBTQ+ and other related subjects

LGBTQ+ flag LGBTQ+ flag

The Western Regional Network of Churches, Ministers and Councils have tasked the government to lay a bill that will expressly proscribe and criminalize the practice and advocacy of LGBT and other related sexual "misbehaviours" in Ghana.

The group said the Bill should call to order all foreign nationals in Ghana whose actions constituted an affront to the laws and sovereignty of Ghana, adding that any Nation that allowed the practice to thrive only incurred the wrath of God.

The Government's inertia on this issue would never help our cause as a Nation... It's time we opened a debate to ensure that the laws of the land do not in any way conflict with our spiritual, social, moral and cultural Norms.

"We need to strengthen Ghana's legal jurisprudence and existing legislations to make it stricter and more punitive for offenders", Right Reverend Daniel De-Graft Brace, Chairman of the Network said at a press conference on Monday.

Recalling Biblical event, the Chair of the Network reminded Ghanaians and political heads of the incident in the then Sodom and Gomorrah.

"These cities lost moral credibility by changing God's moral order and hence lost their right to live as well...any right exercised by mankind contrary to the Divine and moral order of God is not only detestable to God but also dehumanizing", he added.

The Network argued that academic manipulations influenced by sinful desires, twisting of scriptures, theories of moral relativity and liberalism could never be accepted in any well-meaning society and, "we vehemently oppose any such in this country".

The Chairman says one responsibility of the government was to uphold the sanctity and sacredness of human lives bequeath by the creator describing LGBT and other sexual ‘misbehaviours’ as pervasive and deep deprivation which sought to defy God's procreation agenda, abuse of human dignity and affront to societal values.

The Network of Reverend Clergy in the Region therefore called on all the arms of government to boldly take a rooted stand against the practice.

The Network prayed that the government had the political Will and insulate educational institutions from being a conduit to propagate such ill teachings.

The group also charged traditional rulers, the Assemblies and Members of Parliament to make a solemn commitment of ending the practice in the country.

The Network, however encouraged health institutions to offer help to affected persons, while the church put together educational materials for upholding high morals in churches and schools.