The 275 members of Parliament have unanimously agreed to pass the anti-LGBTQ Bill that is currently before the chamber.
Since the text’s debut in 2021, there have been months of public discussion and approval of the agreement by lawmakers and other parties.
The contested legislation has already been the target of several legal challenges; the most recent case was only made public on Tuesday, July 4, 2023.
The Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, 2021 was laid before the deliberation stage and was approved by Speaker Alban Bagbin, who noted that no legislator is opposed to its passage.
“With the submissions just made by the Honorable Andy Appiah Kubi that all the 275 are in support of the bill, anybody who disagrees be on your feet and I will recognize you.
“Honorable members, since all members are in support of the bill, I am definitely not going to gag the House. I will give you the opportunity to expand and improve further the submissions made so that at the consideration stage, it will be enriched by your contributions.
“But I just want us to be clear that none is against the bill,” he stressed.
Speaker Alban Bagbin continued, “Considering the numbers, I’m tempted to set time limitations for the debates so that everyone has a chance to contribute. Your report is already available to the public, in the end.
Read also: “I’d rather die than see LGBTQ+ legalized” – Ghana’s speaker of parliament, Alban Bagbin.
The contentious Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, 2021, has been controversial, and it has been recommended that the House pass it by the Parliament’s Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee.
The majority of Ghanaians, according to the Committee, support the legislation.
The Committee informed the House that it had petitioned the Attorney-General for its advice while acknowledging that there were “significant human rights concerns” with the bill.
Read also: Prejudice against LGBTQI+ people could harm Ghana’s economy – US Ambassador.
The 18-page paper, which Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi, the chair of the committee, signed, was subject to the changes suggested by the committee.
According to Mr. Anyimadu-Antwi, the choice was made after taking the Attorney General’s counsel into account.
