The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has reiterated his suggestion that the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, popularly known as the Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill, can be reconsidered despite its passage.
He remarked that Parliament can move a motion to rescind its earlier decision on the Bill.
His comments follow the passage of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill 2025, after which he appealed for its reconsideration.
“The recent debate where some lawyers came out strongly to say that, by the Constitution, once a law is passed on the floor, Parliament is a functus officio. It’s not the law. Because we have what we call a passage process before you send it to the President for assent.
“And that process gives the opportunity for Parliament to reflect on what it has passed. And that is why, in the Constitution, there is no time limit given to Parliament after passage to submit to the President for assent. And on many occasions, we usually identify some inconsistencies or errors.
“And then we go back to the House, where they refer to us as the second reconsideration stage. We use the process for recession, a motion of recession to rescind the decision of having read the bill a third time. And then use that to do it. So it’s really not the law that once the Speaker says the bill is read a third time and passed, Parliament is functus officio,” he said.
The Speaker made the remarks on Thursday, July 11, 2026, during a courtesy call by the Supreme Court Anniversary Planning Committee for its 150th celebration.
He used the opportunity to refute purported claims that the House is in a stalemate over the much-talked-about Bill.
Speaker Bagbin flags procedural lapses in Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill passage, calls for review
