One of the proponents of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill 2025, John Ntim Fordjour, has disclosed that the bill is expected to be laid before Parliament for its initial reading soon.
Highlighting the massive public interest surrounding the bill, the MP noted that it would be laid soon since it has already been advertised on the Order Paper of Parliament.
“Any time between today and tomorrow — I do not even think that it should go beyond today because it is already advertised and it’s a matter of urgent public interest,” he said on JoyNews Wednesday, October 22, 2025.
Citing the Speaker’s special interest in the Bill, Fordjour noted that swift action will be taken on it once the House resumes sitting today.
“I expect that today at 2:00 p.m., when Parliament reconvenes, it should be one of the first bills that should be called for first reading. Consequential referral to the Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs will be done by the Speaker,” he explained.
According to him, after the first reading, the Committee will invite the bill’s sponsors, a bipartisan group of MPs including Samuel Nartey George, the Ningo Prampram MP, and other co-sponsors, for further engagement.
The subsequent legislative processes will then follow, leading to the second and third readings before passage.
The Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, commonly referred to as the anti-LBGTQ+ bill, has been one of the most polarising pieces of legislation in recent years.
The earlier version of the bill, passed in 2024, was stalled after legal challenges and a court injunction prevented Parliament from transmitting it to the President for assent.
This new move to re-lay the bill marks a renewed push by its sponsors to ensure its passage ahead of the 2025 legislative calendar.
The bill seeks to criminalise certain LGBTQ+ activities and promote what its sponsors describe as “Ghanaian family values,” but it has also drawn criticism from human rights advocates and sections of the international community.
I’m determined to get anti-gay bill passed even if it comes at a personal cost – Bagbin
