Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has directed that the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill – widely described as the anti-LGBTQ bill – be programmed for reconsideration and possible passage by Ghana’s 9th Parliament after determining that it satisfies the procedural and constitutional requirements for reintroduction.
Delivering an official communication on the floor of Parliament on February 10, 2026, the Speaker explained that Standing Order 187(2) mandates him to inform the House whether a private member’s bill complies with Article 108 of the 1992 Constitution before it can proceed.
He recounted that the bill was first introduced in August 2021 and passed by Parliament in February 2024, but ultimately lapsed with the dissolution of the 8th Parliament after the President did not grant assent. The legislation was initially titled the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, 2021 before being passed under its current title, Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill.
According to the Speaker, sponsors of the bill in the current Parliament formally indicated their intention to reintroduce it through correspondence dated February 25, 2025. He subsequently referred the proposed legislation to the Office of the Attorney-General and Ministry of Justice on January 28, 2025, for review and comment. The Attorney-General’s office submitted its observations in a letter dated April 7, 2025, which were then shared with the bill’s sponsors for consideration.
In compliance with Standing Order 182, a separate legal opinion dated March 7, 2025, was also provided to the Speaker. He further noted that, consistent with Section 100(1) of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921), a fiscal impact analysis report had been duly submitted. Following these processes, he instructed that drafting be completed in accordance with parliamentary rules and referred the bill to the Committee on Private Members’ Bills and Private Members’ Motions.
The committee, after reviewing the reintroduced bill, concluded that it maintains its original principles and objectives and does not contravene constitutional provisions – particularly Articles 106 and 108 of the 1992 Constitution. It also determined that the bill does not impose taxation, charges on the Consolidated Fund, or withdrawals from public funds. The committee therefore unanimously advised that the legislation be introduced in the House.
Speaker Bagbin stated that, having reviewed the committee’s report, he formed the opinion that the bill does not impose or alter taxation or charges in a manner prohibited by Article 108. He added that all required procedural steps under the Standing Orders of Parliament had been fulfilled.
The earlier version of the anti-LGBTQ bill that was passed in February 2024 became the subject of legal challenges at Ghana’s Supreme Court through petitions brought by Dr. Amanda Odoi and private legal practitioner Richard Dela Sky. Among the key issues raised in those suits was the absence of a fiscal impact analysis report accompanying the legislation at the time it was passed – an omission that has since been addressed in the reintroduced bill, according to the Speaker’s communication.
“I therefore direct that the bill be scheduled by the Business Committee to be presented to the House for consideration,” the Speaker ruled.
He also criticised members of the Minority caucus, urging them to pay closer attention to parliamentary processes and accusing some of misleading the public regarding the status of the bill.
The directive clears the way for parliamentary reconsideration of one of Ghana’s most debated pieces of legislation, which has drawn sustained domestic and international attention since its initial introduction.
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