The sudden disappearance of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill—popularly known as the anti-LGBTQ+ bill—from Parliament’s Order Paper has triggered outrage among members of the Minority, who are demanding immediate explanations from the government and parliamentary leadership.
During Wednesday’s sitting, Habib Iddrisu, a member of the Minority, raised concerns on the floor of Parliament, describing the development as “a serious matter”.
“Mr Speaker, we cannot have bills advertised on the Order Paper yesterday, and today, the same bills are missing without anything being explained to anybody,” he fumed.
“We, the leadership of the minority here, are not aware why it has not been captured in today’s Order Paper—neither are the sponsors.”
The bill, which had been advertised for reintroduction on Tuesday, October 21, was expected to appear again on Wednesday’s agenda but was quietly omitted without explanation.
The sudden removal has fuelled suspicion among the bill’s sponsors and supporters, with Reverend John Ntim Fordjour, one of the lead proponents, accusing the government of attempting to “run away” from the controversial legislation.
“Suddenly, this clearly indicates that there seems to be a clear attempt by the NDC government to run away from this bill,” he charged.
“The bill that they thought was important yesterday must be important today. We are demanding that the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill be passed now.”
However, Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga clarified that there was no need to re-lay the bill since it had already been passed by the previous Parliament and forwarded to the Presidency for assent before the House was dissolved.
The anti-LGBTQ+ bill has remained one of Ghana’s most divisive legislative efforts in recent years—winning strong backing from religious and traditional groups, while facing fierce opposition from human rights advocates and international partners who argue it infringes on fundamental freedoms.
With the bill’s mysterious disappearance from the Order Paper, the Minority insists that transparency and accountability must prevail, warning that any attempt to delay or quietly discard the legislation would be met with strong resistance.
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