The sudden removal of the controversial anti-LGBTQ+ bill from Parliament’s Order Paper has triggered strong criticism from the Minority in Parliament
The sudden removal of the controversial anti-LGBTQ+ bill from Parliament’s Order Paper has triggered strong criticism from the Minority in Parliament, who are demanding immediate explanations from both government and parliamentary leadership.
Rising on the floor of Parliament, Habib Iddrisu described the situation as “a serious matter,” questioning why the bill was dropped without notice or explanation.
“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 lamented.
“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 Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025—commonly referred to as the anti-LGBTQ+ bill—was scheduled for reintroduction in Parliament on Wednesday, October 22, after appearing on Tuesday’s Order Paper. However, it was quietly omitted from the day’s business agenda without official communication.
Expressing further frustration, Reverend John Ntim Fordjour accused the government of deliberately trying to avoid dealing with the bill.
“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.”
Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga, however, 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.
The anti-LGBTQ+ bill remains one of the most divisive pieces of legislation in Ghana’s recent history, attracting strong support from conservative and religious groups while drawing condemnation from human rights advocates and sections of the international community.
With its sudden disappearance from the Order Paper, the Minority is pressing for clarity and swift action to ensure the bill’s consideration is not delayed any further.