Debate needed on gay law,says Azad

the Union Health Minister said there was a need for Parliamentary debate on doing away with the Section 377 of the IPC.

Amid a raging debate over amendment to section 377,which criminalises homosexuality,the Union Health Ministry on Monday said there was a need for Parliamentary debate and a broad consensus on the issue.

I can simply say that there should be more debate– public debate,Parliament debate. There has to be consensus.

The negative and positive has to be evaluated and then a conclusion should be evolved, Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said at a press conference in New Delhi.

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Asserting that there could not be a better forum than Parliament to debate the issue,he said,…there should be a total consensus. Not only Government,but other political parties should also be in line with it (amendment).

If you are going to be bringing in a legislation of this nature,there has to be a broad consensus, he asserted.

Elaborating on the issue,Azad said,while certain issues were related to the country’s culture,others pertained to diseases associated with homosexuality.

There should be a general debate where out heritage as well as diseases are considered.

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People should become apprised of all the negatives and positives of the matter before forming their opinion,he added.

Earlier,Law Minister Veerappa Moily said in Hyderabad that the government will not take a decision in a hurry to repeal the controversial Section 377 of IPC.

Concerns have been voiced by some Christian and Muslim religious groups against the step.

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