The parliamentary Minority has mounted pressure on President John Dramani Mahama to sign the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, into law without accepting any last-minute amendments aimed at watering down its original substance.
Addressing journalists at a Leaders’ Media Briefing on Tuesday, 3 November 2026, ahead of Parliament’s official resumption, Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin demanded political consistency from the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC). He reminded the public that the NDC strongly championed the legislation whilst in opposition, repeatedly pressing former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to sign an earlier version passed by the House in 2024.
According to the opposition leader, the current administration must display the exact same zeal and ensure the proposed law retains every key provision previously backed by the party, rather than entertaining tactics that introduce delays or weaken its impact.
Highlighting the stance of the parliamentary opposition, Afenyo-Markin stressed that members must be allowed to register their votes on the precise, uncompromised text of the proposed law.
“The outstanding legislation and the Family Values Bill, then in opposition, the NDC said that the bill, as it was then, must be signed by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. We, the Minority, will want to secure two things: that citizens’ rights are protected and that the original bill, that the NDC promised and passed in opposition, should be the same bill that must be signed by President John Dramani Mahama,” he stated.
He further cautioned against creating loopholes under the guise of constitutional protection, urging precise legal language over broad exemptions.
“We don’t want any late amendments carved out or delayed to water it down. Every member must vote on the actual text. Rights must be protected by precise drafting, consistent with the 1992 Constitution. Blanket exemptions are not safeguards, they are a dilution,” Afenyo-Markin added.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
