A sudden disappearance of the anti-LGBTQ+ bill from Parliament’s Order Paper has triggered strong protests from members of the Minority, who are demanding immediate explanations from both the government and parliamentary leadership.
The bill, formally known as the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, was listed on the Order Paper earlier this week but was conspicuously missing in Thursday’s parliamentary proceedings.
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Raising the issue on the floor of Parliament, Habib Iddrisu, a member of the Minority, described the development as “a serious matter” and questioned why no explanation had been provided.
“Mr. Speaker, we cannot have bills advertised on the Order Paper yesterday and today, the same bills are missing without anything being explained to anybody,” he lamented.“We, the leadership of the Minority here, are not aware why it has not been captured in today’s Order Paper. Neither are the sponsors.”
Adding his voice, Ntim Fordjour accused the government of deliberately avoiding the bill, suggesting an attempt to sidestep a politically sensitive issue.
“Suddenly, this clearly indicates that there seems to be a clear attempt by the NDC government to run away from this bill,” he charged.“The bill that they thought was important yesterday must be important today. We are demanding that the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill be passed now.”
Majority Responds
Responding to the concerns, Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga clarified that there was no need to re-lay the bill since it had already been passed by the previous Parliament and forwarded to the Presidency for assent.
According to him, the procedural processes surrounding the bill are ongoing, and the removal from the Order Paper should not be interpreted as a withdrawal or abandonment.
The anti-LGBTQ+ bill has been one of Ghana’s most polarizing pieces of legislation in recent years. It seeks to criminalize same-sex relationships, advocacy, and public support for LGBTQ+ rights, while promoting what it describes as “family values” aligned with Ghanaian cultural and religious norms.