The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference has urged Parliament and relevant constitutional institutions to expedite consideration of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, following the legislature’s latest decision to rescind its earlier approval of the proposed legislation.
The Bishops said any further consideration of the Bill must be guided by constitutional fidelity, legislative diligence and careful consideration of its moral, social, cultural and human rights implications.
Their intervention comes barely three days after Parliament, on November 10, 2026, rescinded its earlier decision on the third reading of the Bill to allow for further reconsideration and the correction of inconsistencies identified in the proposed legislation.
In a communiqué issued at the end of their annual plenary assembly in Jamasi in the Ashanti Region, the Bishops acknowledged Parliament’s decision but urged the House and relevant constitutional institutions to move swiftly on the matter.
“We note Parliament’s decision to rescind its earlier passage of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill,” the Conference stated.
“We encourage Parliament and the relevant constitutional institutions to approach any further consideration of the matter with the requisite speed, constitutional fidelity, legislative diligence and due regard for its moral, social, cultural and human rights implications.”
The latest parliamentary development followed concerns over inconsistencies between decisions taken by the House and the version of the Bill prepared after its third reading.
Speaker of Parliament Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin explained that the Legislation Drafting Department had identified inconsistencies that could not simply be corrected administratively because they involved decisions already taken by Parliament.
The House consequently rescinded its May 29 decision on the third reading to allow members to reconsider the affected provisions and harmonise the legislation before proceeding with the necessary parliamentary processes.
The Bill, introduced in the Ninth Parliament in 2025, is a reintroduction of an earlier version that was passed by Parliament in 2024 but did not receive presidential assent before the Eighth Parliament expired on January 6, 2025.
The earlier legislation generated considerable national and international controversy, with its supporters arguing that it was necessary to protect Ghanaian cultural and family values.
However, human rights organisations and other critics raised concerns about its implications for fundamental human rights and freedoms.
The latest parliamentary reconsideration therefore comes against the background of an already polarised national debate over the proposed legislation.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference reiterated its position on the underlying moral questions, stressing its commitment to the sanctity of human life, the dignity of every person and what it described as the authentic understanding of marriage, family and human sexuality.
“We reiterate the Church’s commitment to the sanctity of human life, the dignity of every person, the authentic understanding of marriage, family and human sexuality,” the communiqué stated.
The Bishops did not, however, spell out specific amendments they expect Parliament to make or take a detailed position on the individual provisions requiring reconsideration.
Their appeal places the Catholic Church among the religious institutions continuing to engage the national conversation surrounding the proposed legislation, as Parliament prepares to revisit its provisions.
The Conference held its annual plenary assembly from November 3 to 14, 2026, at the Divine Providence Pastoral Centre in Jamasi under the theme, “Communion, Participation and Mission: Preparing the Catholic Church in Ghana for Her 150th Anniversary in 2030.”
The communiqué was signed by Most Rev. Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, Catholic Bishop of Sunyani and President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
