Afenyo-Markin Demands Immediate Passage Of Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill, Warns Against Weakening Amendments

The Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has called on Parliament to pass the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, popularly known as the Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill, without delay or last-minute amendments that could weaken its original provisions.

Speaking at a parliamentary leadership press briefing to mark the commencement of the Third Meeting of the Second Session of the Ninth Parliament, Mr Afenyo-Markin said the bill must be passed in the form promised to Ghanaians while the National Democratic Congress (NDC) was in opposition.

He reminded the House that President John Dramani Mahama had previously pledged to assent to the bill, and insisted that Ghanaians trusted the NDC partly on the basis of that commitment.

According to the Effutu MP, the bill, which has sponsors from both sides of the political divide, must not be diluted through last-minute amendments, count-outs or other parliamentary procedures that could delay its passage.

He maintained that every Member of Parliament must be given the opportunity to vote on the exact text of the bill, stressing that the rights of individuals must also be protected through precise drafting consistent with the 1992 Constitution.

Mr Afenyo-Markin particularly raised concerns about blanket exemptions in the legislation, arguing that such provisions should not be presented as safeguards when, in his view, they could dilute the original intent of the bill.

The Minority Leader further maintained that Ghanaians deserved to know whether President Mahama had received the bill, especially given his previous public commitment to sign it into law.