Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has disclosed that President John Mahama has personally assured him of his readiness to sign the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill into law once it is passed by Parliament.
According to Bagbin, the President’s assurance should put to rest growing public speculation about the future of the controversial legislation. Speaking at a public ceremony on Saturday, April 11, 2026, the Speaker urged Ghanaians to ignore what he described as “rumour-mongering” surrounding the bill.
“The President assured me that when we pass the bill and it comes to him, he has stated it before, he was going to assent to it. So please, leave the rumour mongers,” Bagbin stated.
The bill, which has been a subject of intense national debate, has had a turbulent legislative journey. First introduced in 2021, it was passed by Parliament in February 2024 but failed to receive presidential assent from then-President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo before the dissolution of Parliament, causing it to lapse.
Bagbin suggested that the failure to sign the bill may have had political consequences, contributing to voter dissatisfaction with the former ruling party at the polls.
In February 2026, the Speaker directed Parliament’s Business Committee to reschedule the bill for consideration after a Financial Impact Analysis confirmed it would not impose any burden on the Consolidated Fund. He has since expressed confidence that the legislative process will soon be completed.
“We started and we processed it. It has gone through all the stages and the next meeting of Parliament we will pass that bill into law. So don’t listen to people who don’t know what is in Parliament,” he added.
Bagbin also defended the bill on cultural grounds, arguing that it reflects Ghanaian values and traditions. He maintained that same-sex practices are inconsistent with the country’s cultural identity.
“Our cultures and values and principles are different. We resist it today, we will not be colonized again,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Minority in Parliament from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has accused President Mahama of shifting his stance on the bill. The opposition noted that both Mahama and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) had previously criticized the Akufo-Addo administration for failing to assent to the legislation.
Adding to the debate, the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference issued a statement on April 10 expressing concern over recent remarks by the President and the Minister for Government Communications. The Conference warned that such comments risk downplaying issues many Ghanaians consider central to the nation’s moral and cultural framework.
As Parliament prepares to revisit the bill, the issue continues to generate strong reactions across political, religious, and civil society groups in Ghana.
