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KAMPALA, Uganda (LifeSiteNews) — The Ugandan Parliament this month approved its sweeping anti-sodomy bill after adding provisions ensuring that same-sex attracted people seeking help are not penalized. The president of the African country has stated he would sign the measure after the necessary changes were made.

The new version of the law remains “one of the toughest pieces of anti-gay legislation on the continent,” according to the BBC.

LifeSiteNews previously reported that Uganda’s parliament passed the “Anti-Homosexuality Bill” in March. Decried by proponents of the LGBT agenda, the measure is set to provide strict penalties for homosexual behavior and identification, up to and including the death penalty in “aggravated” cases, including rape and child molestation.

“We are making this law for ourselves. We are making this law for our children,” Uganda Minister for Works Ecweru Musa Francis declared in Parliament last month. “This country will stand firm … homosexuals have no space in Uganda.”
Last month, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said he would sign the bill after lawmakers made changes safeguarding homosexuals from being punished for revealing their struggles in an effort to seek rehabilitation.

Lawmakers have subsequently amended the measure, which will still provide rigorous penalties for people who facilitate homosexual activity.

READ: Uganda president says he’ll sign tough anti-sodomy bill after parliament adds important provision

Under the law, anyone who knowingly rents to homosexuals could be imprisoned for up to seven years, the BBC noted. In addition, Ugandans will be required by law to report any homosexual acts involving children; failure to do so could result in five years behind bars or hefty fines equivalent to more than $2,500.

The measure has been forwarded to Museveni’s desk for a signature.

The staunchly pro-family president previously promised to sign the measure after his suggested amendments, and he has spoken out strongly against what he perceives as western ideological incursions on his majority-Christian nation.

In recent weeks and months, U.S. and European officials have harshly condemned Uganda’s anti-homosexuality bill.

National Security Council (NSC) coordinator for strategic communications John Kirby said the furtherance of “LGBTQ+ rights” is “a core part of” U.S. “foreign policy.” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also argued Uganda’s law “would undermine fundamental human rights of all Ugandans.” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre suggested the law “would impinge upon universal human rights” and “damage Uganda’s international reputation” among other accusations.

READ: Biden adviser attacks Uganda’s anti-sodomy bill: LGBT ‘rights’ are a ‘core part of our foreign policy’

However, Museveni argued that “western countries should stop wasting the time of humanity by imposing their social practices on us.”

Amid opposition from powerful western nations like the U.S., Uganda has stood its ground against pro-abortion and LGBT ideology. Moreover, its legislative opposition to homosexuality is nothing new.

As LifeSiteNews previously noted, homosexual activities have explicitly carried criminal penalties under the law since at least Uganda’s time as a British protectorate, which ranged from the late 19th century until 1962. Life imprisonment is already a possible consequence of violating the country’s prohibition of “unnatural acts” in the country’s Penal Code Act of 1950, though the section has been rarely enforced in practice.

However, it remains to be seen whether Uganda’s anti-homosexuality bill, when and if signed, will survive court challenges. As BBC pointed out, a similar anti-homosexuality bill was struck down by the country’s constitutional court in 2014.

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