Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga has pushed back against calls to revisit the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, insisting that Parliament thoroughly debated and agreed on the legislation before its passage.
His comments come after Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin appealed to lawmakers to reconsider the bill following consultations with parliamentary leadership and concerns raised about the process leading to its approval.
Speaking to Citi News, the Bawku Central MP maintained that the bill had already undergone extensive scrutiny by both the Majority and Minority caucuses, with lawmakers reaching consensus on key provisions after months of deliberations.
According to Ayariga, Parliament carefully examined the legislation clause by clause, addressing concerns raised during committee discussions and incorporating recommendations where necessary before ultimately passing the bill.
He questioned the rationale behind calls for a fresh review, arguing that lawmakers had spent more than a year and a half considering the proposed legislation and resolving contentious issues through dialogue and compromise.
“We worked on the entire bill and reached agreement on most of the provisions. Where concerns arose, recommendations were made and discussed before consensus was achieved,” he said.
The Majority Leader also emphasized that his role in the legislative process concluded once Parliament approved the bill. He noted that subsequent steps, including any decision regarding its transmission for presidential assent, fall within administrative processes beyond his responsibility.
Ayariga therefore expressed uncertainty over what specific aspects of the legislation would warrant reconsideration at this stage, insisting that Parliament had already completed its constitutional mandate regarding the bill.
The development highlights emerging differences between parliamentary leadership over the future of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, one of the most debated pieces of legislation in recent years. While Speaker Bagbin has advocated a review of the process surrounding its passage, the Majority Leader maintains that Parliament’s extensive deliberations provide no justification for reopening the matter.
