Speaker of Parliament Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin has requested a review of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, claiming procedural errors during its passing on Friday.
Addressing the House, the Speaker praised Ghanaians, traditional and religious leaders, civil society, and MPs for their widespread support for what he described as a more comprehensive Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Act.
He also commended the Subsidiary Legislation Committee that worked on the bill and its bipartisan sponsors.
Bagbin, however, expressed dissatisfaction with how the bill’s final phases were handled.
He pointed out that according to legislative records, the bill passed on May 29, 2026, after going through the consideration stage and third reading.
The Speaker referred to Standing Orders 171, 172, and 173. Order 172 mandates that the bill accurately reflect any amendments agreed upon during consideration. Concurrently, Order 173 requires the Clerk to include those changes and provide MPs with the updated bill before to its third reading.
Order 171 also permits any MP to request a second consideration before the third reading, although Order 172(1) requires that the third reading occur at least one sitting day after consideration concludes.
Bagbin pointed out that, while Order 3 empowers the House to suspend Standing Orders, it was not used in this situation.
He expressed worries about whether MPs received the final text with all amendments before the third reading.
Some members also complained that the adopted amendments did not match the unanimous position in the committee’s report.
“The eyes of the world are upon this Parliament regarding this bill and its LGBTQ+ implications,” the Speaker said. “Whatever we do must be capable of withstanding legal and constitutional scrutiny.”
He emphasized that the bill originated as a nonpartisan proposal, and that laws of national importance require cross-party cooperation and rigorous adherence to protocol. “Procedural law is as equally important as substantive law,” he said.
Invoking Order 24B, which requires him to promote consensus, Bagbin urged MPs to reconsider the third reading decision.
He said that a second review of the final wording would not result in the bill’s abandonment but would instead reinforce Parliament’s dedication to due process, constitutional integrity, openness, and legislative certainty.
In order to guarantee that the final law reflects both the desire of Parliament and the total support of Ghanaians, he asked the House to approach the issue with discernment, patriotism, and respect for one another.
It will aid in its execution, he continued, which is another aspect that will be crucial to its effectiveness.
The substantial revisions to the measure, which do not align with the goals and intentions of the sponsors, have alarmed the minority, especially co-sponsor John Ntim Fordjour.
“The exemptions smuggled into the bill make the bill empty”
