After the Ghana AIDS Commission was accused by the Minority in Parliament of making a U-turn to oppose the passage of the Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill, the commission has vehemently debunked the said claims.

According to the Director-General of the Commission, Dr. Kyeremeh Atuahene, his outfit does not oppose the passage of the bill.

Speaking in an interview with Accra-based Citi News, the Director-General clarified that their disagreement lies in certain clauses in the bill which they find uncomfortable.

The commission is therefore only asking for an amendment of the clauses that pose risk for individuals, families, and communities.

“I will like to state categorically that Ghana Aids Commission did not object to the passage of the bill. Ghana Aids Commission rather identified a number of clauses that had the potential risk of creating difficult situations for individuals, families, and communities and suggested that those clauses must be given a second look and have them amended,” Dr. Atuahene clarified.

He further disclosed that a number of people and institutions have also agreed with their position including the Attorney-General’s Department.

“A number of people and institutions that submitted memos also agreed with what Ghana Aids Commission said. And in fact, some of the issues we raised were also agreed by the Attorney General in the advice paper he gave to the committee. And I am very happy that I have read portions of the report and recognize that the efforts we made in bringing public health perspectives to bare on the bill have been taken in good faith as we see them reflected in the bill,” he added.

“So the contribution of the commission either in the form of the memo we submitted or my appearance before the committee to answer and clarify issues to the committee all clearly indicated that we wanted an amendment to the bill and not to object to the passage of the bill as reported by the committee,” he said.