Parliament in Ghana has resumed deliberations on the controversial legislation known as the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, bringing back into focus a highly sensitive lawmaking process that has extended across nearly five years and continues to generate strong domestic and international reactions.
The renewed consideration of the bill, which was presented once again for second reading in the House on Thursday, represents the latest development in a legislative journey marked by sustained public engagement, political division, and legal scrutiny.
Initially introduced in June 2021 by a bipartisan group of Members of Parliament led by the Ningo Prampram legislator Sam George, the proposed law seeks to criminalise same sex relations, restrict advocacy associated with LGBTQ issues, and prohibit related funding and organisational support.
The bill first went through its initial reading in August 2021 before being referred to Parliament’s Constitutional Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee for detailed examination. During the period between 2021 and 2022, the committee conducted extensive public consultations involving religious leaders, traditional authorities, legal professionals, civil society organisations, and human rights advocates.
These engagements generated intense national discussion, with proponents insisting the legislation was necessary to safeguard Ghanaian cultural norms and family structures, while critics argued that it would violate constitutional protections and undermine fundamental human rights.
Parliament advanced the bill to its second reading stage in July 2023 and later proceeded to a clause by clause review of its provisions. On 28 February 2024, the House passed the bill after its third reading, a move that prompted significant reactions from advocacy groups, international partners, and global institutions. Several provisions were revised or removed during the legislative refinement process before final approval.
Despite its passage in Parliament, the bill did not receive presidential assent before the conclusion of the Eighth Parliament. Then President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo declined to assent to the legislation while constitutional challenges were still pending before the Supreme Court of Ghana.
The bill subsequently lapsed following the dissolution of Parliament ahead of the 2024 general elections. However, in the Ninth Parliament, sponsors reintroduced it as a private members initiative. The Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin later ruled that the bill met the necessary constitutional and procedural requirements for reintroduction.
It was formally relaid earlier this year and referred once again to the Constitutional Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee before returning to the floor of the House for renewed second reading consideration.
Its reappearance in Parliament is expected to intensify national discourse, as religious groups and conservative organisations continue to advocate for its passage, while human rights defenders and sections of civil society maintain strong opposition on constitutional and rights based grounds.
