Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin has appealed to Parliament to reconsider the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, which was passed on Friday, May 29, 2026.
This comes after discussions with the leadership of the House aimed at ensuring there is a broader consensus on the controversial bill.
Speaker Alban Bagbin called for further consultations with the Majority and Minority leadership following concerns surrounding the process that culminated in the passage of the bill.
“Honourable members, I call on Parliament to rely on the provisions and motions and the conventions of this House to go back to this historic and important Bill and reconsider it,” he stated.
Bagbin explained that this is to ensure that the Bill when passed and assented into law will be able to withstand any legal challenge in the future relating to the processes through which it was passed.
“The legitimacy, credibility and enduring authority of any law depends not only on the objective sought to be achieved but also in the integrity of the process by which the law is enacted.
“Procedural law is as important as substantive law. What we do must be able to withstand any legal and constitutional challenge that are sure to come,” he noted.
The Speaker said he was surprised that the legislation had been fully passed on Friday, May 29, noting that he had expected Parliament to only commence the consideration stage before proceedings were brought to a close.
Bagbin emphasized that a bill of such significance should be subjected to broader stakeholder consensus and careful deliberation.
He revealed that a number of development partners and institutions, including the United Nations, had submitted memoranda and recommendations on the proposed legislation before its passage, underscoring the considerable local and international interest in the matter.
In light of these developments, the Speaker summoned the leadership of both sides of the House for urgent consultations to review the legislative process and use the most appropriate path forward.
He underscored that emphasised that the focus should not only be on passing the bill but also on ensuring its effective implementation and public acceptance.
“This is such a critical matter that we believe there must be consensus. It’s not just about passing the bill; it’s about implementing it and ensuring it benefits the people,” he stated.
Parliament before passing the re-introduced bill, made some amendments.
These include; new amendments to clause nine of the new Bill exempts individuals who provide legal services for persons who identify as LGBTQ+.
It also proposes exemptions for journalists and media houses reporting on LGBT-related news or current affairs in the normal course of their work, as well as for professionals offering medical, surgical, psychological, or counselling services to such individuals.
