The Minority in Parliament is demanding an immediate reversion to the original 2021 framework of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, asserting that the version passed on Friday, May 29, 2026, has been fundamentally compromised. According to the caucus, extensive amendments have diluted the legislation to the point where it no longer fulfills its foundational purpose.
Addressing journalists at a press conference, Assin South Member of Parliament and principal sponsor of the bill, John Ntim Fordjour, argued that the initial 2021 draft possessed the necessary statutory weight to deter LGBTQ+ advocacy.
”The 2021 draft had teeth to bite because its provisions were direct and punitive,” Fordjour stated.
He maintained that the original language left no room for ambiguity and was specifically engineered to aggressively target the promotion, advocacy, and normalization of LGBTQ+ activities in Ghana.
The Minority’s grievances center largely on modifications made to Clause 9, which governs the prohibition of promotion and support for LGBTQ+ activities. Fordjour contended that the introduction of new exemptions has effectively shielded the very actors most capable of influencing public opinion.
The passed bill grants explicit exemptions to lawyers, journalists, media houses, and health professionals. Fordjour argued that by shielding these specific groups from sanctions, Parliament has hollowed out enforcement within the legal, media, and healthcare spaces, which represent the primary channels through which advocacy and information spread. Consequently, the caucus views the current legislation as largely symbolic.
The Minority maintains that the public and legislative support garnered in 2021 was contingent on the uncompromising nature of the draft. In their view, the 2026 version betrays that original mandate by introducing what they describe as “dangerous” loopholes.
With the bill now awaiting presidential assent, the caucus has signaled that it will aggressively push for a reversal to the original provisions. Fordjour insisted that only the unamended 2021 framework retains the legal force required to uphold the bill’s stated core values.
Eugenia Ewoenam Osei
