Ghana’s contentious anti-LGBTQ law, formally titled as the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, will return to the House for a second reading after years of stalled legislative movement and heated public debate.
The bill, filed in 2021 by a bipartisan group of MPs led by Ningo-Prampram MP Sam George, aims to criminalise same-sex relationships, LGBTQ activism, funding, and related actions.
Since its introduction, the measure has gone through several stages of legislative review, including public hearings with religious leaders, traditional authorities, legal experts, civil society organisations, and human rights campaigners.
While advocates argue that the Act is vital to defend Ghanaian traditional and family values, critics claim that it is discriminatory and violates constitutional and international human rights standards.
The bill was first approved by Parliament in 2024, but then-President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo failed to sign it since the Supreme Court was still considering constitutional issues.
It then expired when the Eighth Parliament was dissolved in advance of the general elections in 2024.
The bill has been reintroduced as a private member’s bill in the current Ninth Parliament. It satisfies the procedural and constitutional requirements for reconsideration, according to Speaker Alban Bagbin.
A new stage in the legislative process has begun with the resubmission of the bill for second reading.
Human rights organisations and civil society players continue to oppose it on legal and rights-based grounds, while religious and conservative groups are pushing for its passage. Its reintroduction in Parliament is anticipated to rekindle national discussion.
Source: newsthemegh.com