Anti-LGBTQI+ Bill: Sam George shoots down Bagbin’s request for reconsideration

Minister for Communications, Digital Technology and Innovation and principal sponsor of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, Samuel Nartey George, has rejected calls for Parliament to reconsider the legislation following its passage, insisting that the House has completed its constitutional mandate and must now transmit the bill to the President.

His remarks come after Speaker of Parliament Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin reportedly called for a reconsideration of the bill after it was passed by Parliament on May 29, 2026.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Fourth African Inter-Parliamentary Conference on Family Sovereignty and Values held in Parliament, Mr. George argued that Parliament’s Standing Orders do not provide any legal basis for reopening debate on a bill that has successfully completed all legislative stages.

“Everything that we do in this House, Parliament is a house of rules. Respectfully to Mr. Speaker, it’s not a house of appeals. It’s a house of rules,” he said.

According to the Ningo-Prampram Member of Parliament, once a bill has passed its third reading, Parliament becomes functus officio and has no further legislative role regarding that specific bill unless it is returned through constitutional procedures.

“When Parliament passes a bill, Parliament becomes functus officio. I think that the only role that Parliament has today is to transmit the bill to the President,” he stated.

Mr. George explained that the Constitution clearly outlines the options available to the President after receiving a bill from Parliament.

He noted that the President may assent to the legislation, seek advice from the Council of State, or return the bill to Parliament with specific recommendations for reconsideration.

“The Constitution spells out the steps the President can take to scrutinise the bill. He has a number of days after it has been transmitted to him to report back to the House and say, ‘I have no objection. I’m signing it; I’m assenting to it,’” he said.

“If he has an issue, he can write back to us and say, ‘I have an issue with this provision, that provision. Parliament should reconsider it with his recommendations.’ He cannot just raise objections; he must make recommendations through his Attorney-General,” he added.

The Communications Minister maintained that any attempt to suspend, reverse, or reopen the legislative process at this stage would be inconsistent with parliamentary rules and established procedure.

He argued that while Parliament’s Standing Orders allow certain decisions of the House to be rescinded, those provisions do not apply to bills that have completed all stages and have been formally passed by Parliament.

“The act of rescission of a passed bill is alien to our Standing Orders,” he stated.

“Once the bill has gone through the third reading, Parliament has no role again to play. So once the bill passes after the third reading, that’s it. We have to transmit it.”

Mr. George stressed that any concerns regarding the legislation should be addressed through the constitutional mechanisms available to the President rather than through an internal parliamentary review.

“Let’s transmit it. Let the Presidency come back to us with any challenges that they have. If they have concerns, Parliament can then reconsider those recommendations in accordance with the Constitution. That is the only route I see here for any reconsideration to happen,” he said.

The Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill continues to generate significant public, political, and international debate, with supporters describing it as a measure to protect family values and opponents raising concerns about its implications for human rights and civil liberties.