During the 9th Biennial Delegates Conference at Koforidua on Sunday, the Methodist Guild, an organisation within the Methodist Church in Ghana, added its voice to growing opposition against the legalisation of prostitution. The four-day conference was attended by 450 delegates from all 15 dioceses of the Methodist church in Ghana.

The country has been seriously struggling with the problem of the spread of HIV/AIDS for a long time and the calling for the legalisation of prostitution came from Director-General of the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC), Prof Sakyi Awuku Amoah supported by AN official of the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG), Mr Emmanuel Nuworzah. The proposal is hoped to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS. According to him, the legalisation of prostitution in the long-term would result in a reduction in the number of prostitutes, as well as the rate of HIV infection.

Many opponents have expressed a different opinion. The Methodist Guild explained that "the legalisation of prostitution could lead to an increase in the HIV/AIDS infections and make the government spend scarce resources for development on the care of HIV/AIDS patients."

As the founder of Salt and Light Ministry, Ms Joyce Arye said during the press conference, "women will not be exposed only to sexually transmitted disease, but drugs and violence as well."

"The legislation of prostitution in Ghana would not have any significant impact on the reduction of the spread of HIV/AIDS," the Reverend Fred Deegbe, Senior Pastor of the Calvary Baptist Church said.

"I am not very comfortable at all with that proposals on legalising prostitution because I am not sure that would help curb the spread of the disease," he noted the Ghana News Agency in an interview recently.

During the Methodist Guild conference, the Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church of Ghana, Most Rev. Dr Robert Aboagye-Mensah said it is "the responsibility of the Church to be interested in the affairs of the development of the country."

During his opening sermon of the conference he said the "Church is the light of the world" and called on all Christians to live up to the expectation of speaking the truth to ensure that the right thing was done.