Parliament approved legislation that would impose sweeping restrictions on LGBTQ activity, advancing a controversial measure that has drawn criticism from human-rights groups and renewed debate over civil liberties in the West African nation.

The Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, commonly referred to as the anti-gay bill, passed Thursday with a series of amendments that carve out exemptions for certain professionals and institutions.

Under the revised measure, lawyers who provide legal counsel or representation to individuals identified as LGBTQ would be shielded from prosecution. Journalists and media organizations reporting on LGBTQ-related matters as part of their professional duties would also be exempt, as would medical professionals offering surgical, psychological or counseling services to LGBTQ persons.

Lawmakers in the Minority Caucus opposed the amendments, arguing they amounted to an acknowledgment that the earlier version of the bill—previously submitted to former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for assent—was fundamentally flawed.

Despite those objections, Parliament approved the legislation, moving the bill a step closer to becoming law.

Source:TheDotNews