The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference has criticized President Akufo-Addo’s delay in assenting to the Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, calling the reasons given for the postponement “mere excuses” and “not justifiable.”
The comments were made in a communique released at the conclusion of the Bishops’ 2024 Plenary Assembly, held in the Obuasi Diocese, and read by the President of the Conference, Bishop of Sunyani, Most Rev. Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, on November 15, 2024, at the St. Thomas Cathedral in Obuasi.
The Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, which seeks to ban LGBTQ+ activities and safeguard traditional family structures in Ghana, has been a subject of intense national debate.
The Catholic Bishops reiterated their support for the Bill, describing it as a critical piece of legislation that reflects the moral values deeply embedded in Ghanaian society.
“We fully support the Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, which resonates with our commitment to the sanctity of the family and the preservation of values rooted in our cultural and Christian heritage,” the Bishops stated in the communique.
They emphasized that the Bill aligns with the moral convictions of the majority of Ghanaians, and that its delayed passage has left many citizens questioning the government’s commitment to protecting these traditional values.
In their address, the Bishops were unequivocal in their appeal to President Akufo-Addo, urging him to give his assent to the bill without further delay. “We see no justification for the President’s delayed action on the matter. The reasons given for the delay are mere excuses,” the Bishops further said.
The Bishops clarified that, “We are not calling for discrimination, but for the preservation of our moral fabric and the protection of traditional marriage and family as the foundation of our society.”
Early this year, lawmakers in Ghana passed a new bill that makes identifying as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer or Questioning plus (LGBTQ+) illegal.
The Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021, passed on February 28 also criminalizes the “willful promotion, sponsorship, or support of LGBTQ+ activities”.
Awaiting President Addo Akufo-Addo’s assent to become law, the new Bill imposes a prison sentence of up to three years for those found guilty of identifying as LGBTQ. Anyone convicted of forming, advocating for, or funding LGBTQ groups risks a jail term of up to five years.
President Akufo-Addo had previously said that he would sign the bill into law it if the majority of Ghanaians wanted him to do so.
He was later reported to have said that the bill had “raised considerable anxieties in certain quarters of the diplomatic community and amongst some friends of Ghana” that the country may be “turning her back on her, hitherto, enviable, longstanding record on human rights observance and attachment to the rule of law”.
Before issues could settle, private legal practitioner, Richard Dela Sky, filed an application with the Supreme Court, saying there were not enough MPs in the chamber when the vote took place. The Supreme Court challenger argued that there was no quorum when the bill was passed.
Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo has since said he will not assent to the bill until the Supreme Court rules on its constitutionality.
Earlier, the country’s finance ministry had warned that billions of dollars in World Bank funding could be lost if it became law.
Watch the communique below
