The Speaker of Parliament, Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has directed Members of Parliament to reconsider the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, which was passed on Friday.
The directive, issued under Standing Order 24(b) on consensus-building, was contained in a communication presented to the House yesterday.
Mr Bagbin said the reconsideration had become necessary because the passage of the Bill did not comply fully with Standing Orders 170, 171 and 172, which govern the legislative process.
He explained that Standing Order 170 outlines the stages for consideration of bills, while Standing Order 171 allows a member, before a third reading, to move for a second consideration of a bill in whole or part.
Standing Order 172 requires that all adopted amendments are properly incorporated and that at least one sitting day elapses before a third reading.
According to him, these procedural requirements were not fully observed during the passage of the Bill last Friday. He said the rules are intended to ensure that lawmakers have sufficient time to scrutinise legislation before approval.
Mr Bagbin further noted concerns that some amendments adopted during consideration were not fully reflected in the report of the Committee on Constitutional and Legal Affairs, raising questions about the accuracy of the final text.
He stressed that the issues raised “go to the heart of parliamentary consensus and the confidence of legislators and the citizenry in the legislative process,” adding that procedural integrity must be safeguarded.
The Speaker also said the Bill should be strengthened to withstand possible legal and constitutional challenges, given its implications for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ+) issues.
He therefore urged MPs to revisit the Bill in a manner that reinforces its bipartisan character, strengthens unity in the House and reflects the convictions of the public.
“I respectfully appeal to legislators to reflect carefully upon the issues raised and reconsider in the larger national interest the bipartisan character of the Bill, the unity of the House and the need to maintain the highest standards of procedural integrity,” he stated.
BY BENJAMIN ACTON-TETTEY
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