Ross Osei Owusu, a member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) legal team, has expressed concern over changes made to the country’s newly passed anti-LGBTQ bill, arguing that key punitive provisions contained in an earlier version of the legislation have been removed.
Speaking on The Forum on Asaase Radio, following Parliament’s passage of the bill on Friday (29 May), Osei Owusu said the legislation approved by lawmakers differed significantly from the version debated in 2024.
“If you check the scope and nature of the bill that was presented in 2024, it is quite different from the one that has been passed,” he said.
Specifics
Osei Owusu pointed specifically to provisions he said were contained in clauses 10 and 11 of the earlier bill, arguing that their removal had weakened the legislation’s enforcement mechanisms.
According to him, the changes would make it more difficult to sanction advocacy or public support for LGBTQ-related issues and activities.
“What will prevent anybody from advocating for this LGBTQ?” he asked.
He argued that the earlier version of the legislation contained stronger deterrent measures that would have discouraged conduct targeted by the bill.
Osei Owusu also claimed that custodial sentences proposed in the earlier draft had been reduced in the version passed by Parliament.
Practical impact
The NPP legal team member questioned whether the revised legislation would achieve its intended objectives, saying he was struggling to understand its practical impact in its current form.
“In fact, the custodial sentence that was supposed to have been meted out to people said to have engaged in this act has been reduced,” he said.
“I am struggling to appreciate what this law as it stands now would be doing,” he said.
Intervention
Osei Owusu further said he hoped the executive would carefully examine concerns raised about the legislation if it is forwarded for presidential assent.
“We are waiting patiently to see if the bill will be transmitted to the president for assent. We want to see if the president will take into consideration the salient concerns that have been raised,” he said.
The Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, commonly referred to as the anti-LGBTQ bill, has generated intense debate in Ghana, drawing support from some religious and cultural groups while attracting criticism from human rights advocates and international organisations.
The legislation’s future now depends on the next stages of the legislative process, including possible executive consideration.
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