The Minority Caucus in Parliament has accused the government and the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) of significantly altering the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill before presenting it for presidential assent.
The caucus has raised concerns over what it describes as a departure from earlier commitments made to Ghanaians.
Addressing a media briefing in Parliament on Monday, June 1, 2026, Assin South MP, John Ntim Fordjour, questioned why the version of the bill recently passed by Parliament differs substantially from the one approved in 2024.
“On behalf of the Minority Caucus, we have called this press conference to ask a simple but very serious question: What has changed?” Rev. Ntim Fordjour said.
According to him, the NDC and President John Dramani Mahama had previously supported calls for the bill to be signed in its original form after its passage by Parliament in 2024. He argued that the same bill was now being subjected to extensive amendments before being forwarded to the President.
The Assin South legislator claimed that Parliament introduced 31 amendments, including 22 deletions and several new insertions, which he said had fundamentally altered the legislation.
“You cannot subject a bill to 22 deletions and 31 insertions and expect that the bill remains the same. It has been overhauled,” he stated.
Rev. Ntim Fordjour said the Minority’s concern was not opposition to the bill itself but rather what he described as the weakening of key provisions intended to deter the promotion and advocacy of LGBTQ+ activities.
He argued that Ghana’s existing laws already criminalize same-sex sexual relations and same-sex marriage, and that the primary objective of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill was to address the promotion, advocacy, sponsorship and support of LGBTQ+ activities.
“The real mischief the bill sought to cure was the promotion, advocacy and sponsorship of LGBTQ+ activities. That was the central objective,” he said.
The MP particularly criticized amendments to Clause 9 of the bill, which deals with the prohibition of propaganda, promotion and advocacy of activities prohibited under the legislation.
He alleged that new provisions introduced exemptions for certain categories of persons and institutions, a move he claimed could undermine the effectiveness of the law.
According to him, such exemptions were not part of the original bill and were not discussed during committee deliberations.
Rev. Ntim Fordjour challenged anyone to produce evidence from the committee’s public proceedings showing that Parliament had agreed to create exemptions for individuals or institutions regarding the promotion of activities prohibited under the bill.
The Minority MP further accused the government of betraying public trust by campaigning on a promise to assent to the bill but later supporting substantial amendments.
“They told Ghanaians to vote for them because they would sign the bill. They did not say they would amend it, dilute it or alter it before signing,” he said.
The Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill remains one of the most debated pieces of legislation in Ghana, attracting strong support from proponents who argue it reflects Ghanaian cultural and family values, while critics have raised concerns about its implications for human rights, freedom of expression and constitutional protections.
The government and sponsors of the amended bill are yet to formally respond to the Minority’s latest claims regarding the changes made to the legislation.
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