The Member of Parliament for Old Tafo, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, has accused the NDC Majority in Parliament of introducing amendments to the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill that effectively weaken provisions aimed at prohibiting the promotion and advocacy of LGBTQ activities in Ghana.

In a strongly worded statement shared on Facebook, the legislator argued that amendments made to ‘Clause 9’ of the Bill have created exemptions that were absent from the original version passed by Parliament, raising concerns about the legislation’s ability to achieve its intended purpose.

According to Assafuah, the earlier version of the Bill contained clear provisions criminalising the promotion, support, advocacy, dissemination and facilitation of acts prohibited under the legislation, with offenders facing prison terms ranging from five to ten years.

He cited Clause 9 of the original Bill, which prohibited the production, publication, dissemination and distribution of materials intended to promote acts outlawed under the legislation. The provision also criminalised activities aimed at influencing public opinion in favour of such acts and the provision of assistance or resources to support them.

However, the Old Tafo MP contends that the newly passed version introduces exemptions under Clause 9(2) that significantly alter the original framework.

“The Ghanaian people must not be deceived,” Assafuah stated, arguing that the law cannot be considered stronger when exemptions are introduced into what he described as its principal enforcement provision.

He questioned why the exemptions were absent from the earlier Bill but were subsequently inserted by the NDC Majority, asking who requested their inclusion and how they would strengthen enforcement of the legislation.

“The fundamental question remains unanswered: Has Clause 9 been strengthened, or have loopholes been smuggled into the very provision Parliament designed to prohibit propaganda, promotion and advocacy for prohibited acts?” he asked.

Assafuah maintained that the original Bill recognised that movements and campaigns grow through promotion, organisation, financing and the deliberate shaping of public opinion, which he said justified the inclusion of strict prohibitions against advocacy and promotion.

The MP further called on Ghana’s religious leaders to scrutinise the amendments before any presidential assent is granted to the Bill. He specifically appealed to the leadership of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, the Christian Council of Ghana, the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council, the National Association of Charismatic and Christian Churches, the Office of the National Chief Imam and traditional religious leaders to examine the changes and assess whether the legislation remains faithful to its original purpose.

“This is not the time for silence,” Assafuah said, urging religious bodies and clergy who supported the Bill to speak candidly about the implications of the amendments.

The lawmaker stressed that the debate is not merely political but concerns legislative integrity and the consistency of Parliament’s commitment to the objectives for which the Bill was introduced.