Moses Foh-Amoaning, the outspoken Executive Secretary of the National Coalition for Proper Human Sexual Rights and Family Values, has renewed calls for fully incorporating “care, treatment, and support” provisions into Ghana’s controversial Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill – measures that critics decry as veiled endorsements of conversion therapy.
These practices, which attempt to change, suppress, or “repair” a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity, have been widely condemned by global health bodies like the World Health Organization and the American Psychological Association as pseudoscientific, ineffective, and psychologically harmful, often resulting in severe mental health issues including depression, anxiety, and increased suicide risk. Despite this, some conservative factions, including religious organizations, maintain that such interventions offer voluntary “help” aligned with cultural norms, though evidence shows they fail to alter innate traits and can cause lasting trauma.
During his interview on Onua FM, Foh-Amoaning expressed frustration over the removal of these clauses from the bill’s final parliamentary version which was passed in February 2024, attributing it to fiscal constraints on private members’ bills.
He stated: “Another reason is that provisions to do with care, treatment, and support for those who are in that situation [LGBTQI+] were removed from the bill. Also, flexible sentencing policy, because when we passed the bill – if you would remember – Mr. Afenyo Markin and other people raised concerns – questioning why they would want to put people in prison. The bill in its original form that was drafted with the support of our Coalition, there were provisions about care, treatment, and support, so that if someone is in that condition and needs help, they are not just arrested and taken to prison. If they request help, then we help them.”
Foh-Amoaning highlighted his Coalition’s operational “big hospital,” launched on March 6, 2020, as a model for such support, claiming: “Our Coalition has a big hospital that has been since 6th March 2020 – which we launched the hospital – a lot of people who needed help have come there and which we have provided for them.” Reports have previously linked this facility to conversion therapy initiatives, including camps designed to “reorient” individuals, which the Coalition promotes as part of its broader campaign against LGBTQ+ rights.
He advocated for transitioning the legislation to a government-sponsored public bill to reinstate these elements without financial hurdles, noting: “But because, when you introduce a private members’ bill, it would impose a cost on the state, I remember the former Attorney-General wrote a very long opinion piece explaining why that private members bill had a problem. And so, if the Attorney-General introduce a government-sponsored bill, it would not suffer that deficiency. We do support that the President should make his Attorney-General the bill.”
Foh-Amoaning voiced disappointment over the lack of action on President John Dramani Mahama’s earlier suggestion for this approach, adding: “However, it has been eleven months, and that has not happened. So, President, we support your commitment to sign the bill [if it is passed by Parliament] and we thank you for saying that.” He affirmed his readiness to work with Attorney-General Dominic Ayine to advance this revised version, amid the bill’s reintroduction in March 2025 and persistent delays from legal and international pressures under the previous administration.Human rights advocates have vehemently opposed embedding conversion therapy in law, arguing it would legitimize abuse and contravene Ghana’s obligations under international treaties.
In a country where same-sex relations are already punishable by up to three years in prison, such provisions could deepen societal stigma and endanger vulnerable groups. President Mahama has reiterated his intent to enact the bill, but no confirmation has come from the Attorney-General’s office on potential collaboration. As parliamentary discussions resume, this push could heighten tensions and draw further global condemnation of Ghana’s stance on LGBTQ+ issues.
Rightify Ghana 