THE GOVERNMENT said yesterday that it has no intention of decriminalising homosexuality in Jamaica, as feared by some religious groups monitoring the review of the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms legislation now before a joint select committee of Parliament.
In a statement signed by Justice Minister Senator A.J. Nicholson yesterday, the administration said there would be no reversal of the law that makes homosexual behaviour illegal.
"There is no intention whatsoever on the part of the Government or the Joint Select Committee of Parliament that any door should be opened by provisions in the proposed Charter of Rights and Freedoms, or otherwise, to decriminalise homosexuality or to pave the way for same-sex marriages," Senator Nicholson said.
CONCERNS RAISED BY CHURCH LEADERS
The statement came in direct response to concerns raised by church leaders and Christian lawyers that modifications to sections of the Constitution, namely the protection of the right to privacy, could open the door for homosexual marriages.
But Mr. Nicholson said the proposed amendments to the Charter are similar to ones made in the early 1990s by the Constitutional Commission headed by Dr. Lloyd Barnett, in a draft bill on the Charter.
Also yesterday, Opposition Leader Bruce Golding said the Jamaica Labour Party's members on the Joint Select Committee would today insist that the committee hear submissions from religious groups on certain provisions of the Charter.
"The Opposition will wish to hear the views of these groups to ensure that the provisions in the proposed Charter reinforce the pre-eminence of the family unit as the foundation of society," Mr. Golding said.
The group of lawyers and religious leaders plan to travel to Gordon House today in hopes of convincing the parliamentary committee to hold off on approving the legislation for tabling in the House of Representatives and the Senate.
