Parliament defers laying Anti-LGBTQ Bill due to Sam George’s Absence

The Business Committee of Parliament has rescheduled to next week, the second laying of the “Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, 2022”. 

The object of the Bill is to provide for proper human sexual rights and Ghanaian Family Values proscribe lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ+) and related activities.

Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Majority Leader and Leader of Government Business in Parliament, said the rescheduling of the laying of the Bill to next week became necessary because of the absence of Mr Sam George, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ningo-Prampram; and Lead Sponsor of the Private Members’ Bill, and Mr Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi, the Chairman of the Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, and MP for Asante Akim Central.

Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu noted that in the course of the week, both Mr George and Mr Anyimadu-Antwi were outside the jurisdiction of Ghana on a national assignment and that the latter had just returned to the country while Mr George would be arriving back later.

It would be recalled that on Friday, June 23, during the presentation of the Business Statement of the House, Speaker Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, through Mr Joseph Osei-Owusu, the First Deputy Speaker, presiding, directed the Business Committee of the House to table the “Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights And Ghanaian Family Values Bill, 2022” for either Tuesday, June 27th or Thursday, June 29th, for the consideration of the House.

Subsequently, the Bill has been tabled for the two days in the Order Paper of the House but due to the absence of Mr George and Mr Anyimadu-Antwi, it could not be laid for the second reading of the House.

The Second Reading would give MPs the opportunity to debate the main principles of the Bill.