More women MPs needed to pass gender bills – Ursula

The Member of Parliament for Ablekuma West, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, has said an insufficient number of female MPs is hampering the expeditious passage of the Intestate Succession and Spousal Rights bills.

According to her, until a time when enough women MPs or gender-sensitive men are elected to the legislature, such important bills will never see the light of day.

Speaking to Class News, she bemoaned the delay in passing the two bills into law to protect women.

“Look at the fate of the Intestate Amendment Succession and the Property Rights of Spouses’ Bill; [they] didn’t see the light of day. [They are] being sent back to committee and nobody knows when [they] will come back to preliminary after the work on [them] or if [they] will ever come back,” Mrs Owusu-Ekuful wondered.

“Because we did not have the critical mass of women and gender-sensitive men who understood the need for those pieces of legislation to push through the laws in parliament.

“Until we get to the point where we elect more women and gender-sensitive men to come to parliament, all these laws which will help improve the conditions of widows, orphaned children, spouses, widowers, family, and the dependent children, all these pieces of legislation (will) never see the light of day.”