Uganda's highest court upheld a law criminalizing same-sex relationships, drawing inspiration from a U.S. Supreme Court anti-abortion ruling. The Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023 (AHA23) imposes severe penalties, including lengthy prison sentences and even death, for those involved in same-sex sexual activity. Despite a petition seeking to overturn the law, the court ruled against it, referencing the U.S. Supreme Court's Dobbs v. Jackson decision as precedent. The justice wrote that Dobbs v. Jackson is a decision “where the Court considered the nation’s history and traditions, as well as the dictates of democracy and the rule of law, to over-rule the broader right to individual autonomy.” In the Dobbs v. Jackson case, the Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, which had safeguarded the right to abortion. Mark Pocan, a Democratic congressman from Wisconsin who is openly gay and chairs the Congressional Equality Caucus, has previously confronted conservative American organizations regarding their ties to AHA23. He expressed concern to The Advocate, stating that the Ugandan constitutional court drawing inspiration from the Dobbs decision to uphold Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act is deeply troubling. He said, “The mention and misapplication of Dobbs by the Ugandan Court was no accident — there are U.S. organizations that celebrated the Dobbs decision who are also championing anti-LGBTQI+ legislation abroad.” #Queer Up The World View