The Speaker of Parliament, Rt Hon Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has directed the Business Committee to schedule the relaying of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill before Parliament.
He gave the order on February 10, 2026.
The bill was passed during the Eighth Parliament but was unsuccessful in receiving the assent of the then-President.
Prior to its passage, it was subjected to reviews and amendments over what some said were inhuman punitive actions.
The bill, among other things, instituted three to five years of imprisonment for engaging in same-sex intercourse and imprisonment for anyone who produces, procures, or distributes material deemed to be promoting LGBT+ activities.
It also sought to institute 6 months to 1-year imprisonment for a public show of amorous relations between people of the same sex; a ban on sponsoring LGBT+ groups; a ban on adoption and fostering for LGBT+ potential parents; prohibition of same-sex marriage; 6 months to 3 years imprisonment for anyone who harasses someone accused of being LGBT+ and others.
The international community reacted to the news with US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller tweeting, “The Ghanaian parliament’s passage of a bill criminalising members of the LGBTQI+ community imperils the rights of all its people, its international reputation, and its economic development. Ghana’s laudable tradition of tolerance will be undermined if this bill becomes law.”
In October 2025, the Speaker explained that all the businesses that were pending in the Eighth Parliament died with it.
He, however, emphasised that before the bill can be formally laid before the House again, he must fulfil certain procedural requirements as outlined in Parliament’s Standing Orders.
Meanwhile, President John Dramani Mahama has resolved to append his signature to the Bill once it is passed by Parliament.
At an engagement with the Christian Council, President Mahama explained that the bill needed to be re-laid before the Ninth Parliament after it expired due to failure to get Presidential assent as a result of a court injunction.
Story by Hajara Fuseini
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Source:
opemsuo.com