On Wednesday, December 18, Ghana’s Supreme Court dismissed two legal challenges aimed at overturning the contentious Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, a law severely restricting LGBTQ rights that was passed by lawmakers earlier this year.
Approved in February, the bill has drawn widespread international criticism despite enjoying significant public support in the conservative West African nation. The legislation imposes prison sentences ranging from six months to three years for individuals engaging in LGBTQ relationships.
The bill is yet to become law, pending ratification by outgoing President Nana Akufo-Addo. The president, who is set to leave office on January 7 after serving two terms, previously indicated that he would await the Supreme Court’s ruling on the bill’s constitutionality before making a decision.
Delivering the court’s judgment, Justice Avril Lovelace-Johnson, head of the seven-member panel, stated: “It will be premature for this court to exercise its interpretive and enforcement jurisdiction to intervene. Consequently, the action fails.”
She added that the Supreme Court would not use its supervisory jurisdiction to overturn the bill until it receives presidential assent.
The ruling follows lawsuits filed by Ghanaian broadcaster Richard Dela-Sky and university researcher Amanda Odoi, both of whom questioned the bill’s constitutionality.
The legislation has faced criticism from international bodies, including the United States, and raised concerns within Ghana’s finance ministry, which warned that its passage could jeopardize billions of dollars in World Bank funding.
