Parliament Passes Anti-LGBTQ Bill With New Professional Exemptions, Awaits Presidential Assent

Ghana’s Parliament has passed the reintroduced Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, clearing the way for presidential assent on one of the most divisive pieces of legislation in the country’s recent democratic history. The bill, approved on Friday, May 29, 2026, carries significant new amendments that exempt lawyers, journalists, and health professionals from prosecution under the proposed law.

The exemptions mark a notable shift from earlier versions of the bill, which critics warned could criminalise even the act of providing legal counsel or medical care to LGBTQ individuals. Under the amended provisions, lawyers offering legal representation or advice to persons identified as LGBTQ will not face sanctions. Journalists and media organisations reporting on LGBTQ-related matters in the course of their professional duties are similarly shielded. Medical professionals — including doctors, counsellors, psychologists, and other health practitioners — providing services to LGBTQ persons will also escape penalties.

The bill’s passage arrives after years of heated national debate. First introduced in Parliament in 2021 as a private member’s bill spearheaded by Ningo-Prampram MP Samuel Nartey George alongside bipartisan co-sponsors, the legislation sought to strengthen existing prohibitions against same-sex relations and outlaw the promotion, advocacy, and funding of LGBTQ activities in Ghana.

Before the bill’s introduction, Ghana already criminalised same-sex sexual relations under Section 104 of the Criminal Offences Act, which prohibits what the statute describes as “unnatural carnal knowledge.” Proponents of the new legislation argued, however, that the existing framework left gaps in addressing LGBTQ advocacy, activism, public campaigns, and funding.

The bill was reintroduced in 2025, this time co-led by Samuel Nartey George and Assin South MP John Ntim Fordjour, with backing from lawmakers across the aisle. Other sponsors include MPs Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzra, Helen Adjoa Ntoso, Nurideen Muhammed Mummuni, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, Alhassan Tampuli Sulemana, Rita Naa Odoley Sowah, Tiah Abdul Kabiru Mahama, and Anthony Mmieh.

The inclusion of professional exemptions this time around reflects pressure from civil society organisations, the Ghana Bar Association, and international human rights groups, all of whom had cautioned that earlier drafts risked sweeping up essential services in a broad net of criminalisation. Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga had earlier insisted that the amendments did not dilute the bill’s core intent, describing it as uncompromising in its stance against LGBTQ promotion and advocacy.

Supporters of the legislation argue it reinforces Ghanaian cultural and religious values while protecting the institution of the family. Opponents, both domestic and international, contend the bill violates fundamental rights guaranteed under the 1992 Constitution, including freedoms of expression, association, and equality before the law.

The bill now awaits presidential assent to become law. President John Mahama’s position on the legislation will be closely watched, given the weight of public opinion on both sides and the potential diplomatic consequences with Western governments and international organisations that have previously expressed concern over the bill’s implications.

Parliament earlier passed the bill after its third reading, setting the stage for Friday’s final vote. If signed into law, Ghana will join a small but growing number of African nations that have enacted specific anti-LGBTQ legislation beyond existing sodomy statutes, a trend that has drawn both praise from conservative groups and condemnation from global human rights bodies.

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