Anti-gay Bill to Be Reintroduced in Parliament- Speaker Rules

The Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Bagbin has ruled that the controversial Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, widely known as the Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill, will be reintroduced in the current Parliament.

The bill was passed during the Eighth Parliament but was unsuccessful in receiving the assent of the then-President.

Explaining the importance of the decision on Tuesday, he said the Bill, the Eighth Parliament, is history and so are all the businesses that were pending in the Eighth Parliament before it.

“They all ended with the Eighth Parliament. We now have a new Parliament, the Ninth Parliament, and therefore what was pending there came to an end and has to be reintroduced,” Mr. Bagbin stated.

Meanwhile, the Speaker emphasised that before the bill can be formally laid before the House again, he must fulfil certain procedural requirements as outlined in Parliament’s Standing Orders.

“Our rules have specified what the Speaker is expected to do, which I will do before it can be laid in the House,” he concluded.

Story by Hajara Fuseini

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