The Minority Caucus in Parliament has called for the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, originally passed by the 8th Parliament in 2024, to be transmitted to President John Dramani Mahama for assent without any alterations.
The demand follows renewed controversy surrounding the reintroduced legislation, which has undergone 31 amendments since the National Democratic Congress (NDC) assumed office.
A statement issued by Minority Leader Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, on Thursday, June 4, accused the governing NDC of abandoning the position it vigorously defended while in opposition.
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According to the Minority leader, the anti-LGBTQ+ Bill that received unanimous approval in the previous Parliament represented the collective moral, cultural, and religious values of Ghanaians and should not be subjected to substantial changes.
The Caucus argued that the NDC had previously opposed any attempts to amend the legislation and had repeatedly criticized the former administration for failing to secure presidential assent to the Bill.
“The Ghanaian people were led to believe that the NDC fully supported the passage of the Bill in its original form. Having campaigned on that position, they now owe Ghanaians an explanation for the extensive changes introduced after assuming power,” the statement noted.
The Minority leader described the amendments as a clear departure from commitments made by the NDC before the 2024 general election, insisting that the changes undermine public confidence in the government’s credibility on matters of family values and social policy.
Hon. Afenyo-Markin also questioned what he described as conflicting signals from key government officials regarding the future of the legislation.
He cited comments by President John Mahama suggesting procedural concerns over the Bill’s passage, as well as differing views expressed by parliamentary leadership on whether the legislation should return to the House for further consideration.
According to the Minority leader, these developments create uncertainty over the government’s intentions and raise concerns that efforts are being made to delay the Bill’s eventual enactment.
He stressed that the debate should not be about whether Ghanaians support the values promoted by the Bill, arguing that public sentiment on the issue remains overwhelmingly clear.
Instead, the Minority leader said the central question is whether the NDC is prepared to honor the commitments it made while seeking political power.
He urged Parliament to reconsider the amended version and restore the original text passed in 2024 before forwarding it to the President for assent.