And, it seems all that blowback gave the government cold feet. In, a late evening press release, the Government of Belize confirmed that the bill will not be tabled.
Their statement issued half-hour ago says, quote, "The decision was taken to not proceed with the bill at this time, and to withdraw it. While this is Cabinet's position, it views with deep regret the circumstances surrounding the bill being brought before the Cabinet for its approval which is a mere part of the legislative process.
While for some, there might have been genuine consternation, it is regrettable that there was purposeful misinformation from some stakeholders. The legislative process allows opportunities for the venting and redressing of such legitimate concerns. The Cabinet wishes to make the following clear… that there was never an intent to pass such legislation without the due process being afforded… There are very good elements of the bill that would bring about tremendous benefits for the Belizean people, especially as it relates to issues having to do with but not limited to our aging population, breastfeeding, persons with disabilities, family responsibilities, gender, HIV positive status, maternity, political opinion, industrial activity, irrelevant criminal record, lawful sexual activity, political opinion, pregnancy, race, religious activity, sex, sexual orientation, status as a person who is experiencing or has experienced domestic violence, status as an orphan and a few other statuses." End quote.
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