Ghana’s Communications Minister and Member of Parliament (MP) for Ablekuma West constituency, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful has expressed deep concern over the inclusion of provisions criminalizing the use of sex toys in the proposed Anti-LGBTQ bill which is currently before parliament.

The legislation, which has sparked widespread debate, aims to tighten restrictions on LGBTQ rights in the country. However, Ursual has voiced reservations about the intrusion into personal freedoms with the inclusion of penalties for the possession and use of sex toys.

While the bill primarily targets LGBTQ individuals, this particular provision, according to the Minister, seems to extend its reach into the private lives of heterosexual couples. The Lawmaker emphasized that the criminalisation of the use of sex toys contained in clause 3(c) of the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021, would inadvertently affect heterosexual couples who use sex toys to enhance their sex lives.

Clause 3(c) of the bill prohibits sexual intercourse between a man and an inanimate object or between a woman and an inanimate object.

Ursula further averred that if the criminalisation of sex toys is the intent of the house, then Parliament would have to be clear that the bill is not just targeted at the LGBT community, but all and sundry. Otherwise, she has called for the immediate deletion of clause 3(c).

The minister, made this statement while speaking on the floor of parliament during the consideration of the Anti-LGBT bill.

“And I think we raised this when the committee was considering it that the proposed amendment in 3(c) may create unintended consequences because sexual intercourse between a man and an inanimate object or between a woman and an inanimate object would necessarily include sexual intercourse with all manner of aids that couple use to enhance the sexual experience.

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“And I’m not sure if that’s what the intention of this bill is. It would necessarily include sex toys and other aids that couples, heterosexual couples also use to enhance the sexual experience,” she said.

She continued, “So if that’s what the house intends then we have to be clear in our minds that we may be criminalising activities which may not necessarily be limited to only those LGBTQI community that the target of this bill is, but it may also be targeting straight couples who use sex enhancement tools to enhance the sexual experience.

“So we need to be mindful of the unintended consequences of 3(c) could be and I’ll propose that 3(c) be deleted from this amendment.”