Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Services, the Hon. Bacchus A. Rolle, told Parliamentarians Wednesday that the Older Persons Rights, Protections, Care and Support Bill, 2026 was “a legislative and moral answer to the reality on the ground facing Older Persons in The Bahamas.
Delivering the Opening Address during the Second Reading of the Bill in the House of Assembly, State Minister Rolle said the introduction of the Bill, was not a matter of politics alone, but of divine instruction, and will help strengthen and restore the culture of honour for the country’s Older Persons.
“The health of this nation, the very longevity of our people and the durability of our society, is inextricably bound to how we care for our elders. Protecting them, ensuring they are treated with dignity, ensuring a decent standard and quality of living — these are not merely policy objectives. They are the conditions upon which our national life and prosperity depend.
“And yet, Mr. Speaker, I must speak plainly to this House about the reality on the ground. Too many of our elders are neglected. Too many are abused. Too many are abandoned, left in hospitals with no one to collect them, left in homes without adequate food or water, left at the mercy of those who exploit their pensions, their savings, and their trust.
“We have all heard the stories. The elderly mother whose children take her National Insurance cheque and leave her without medication. The father who built a home with his own hands and now finds himself locked out of it by his own family. The grandmother, abandoned in a hospital ward for weeks because no next of kin will answer the call.
“These are not isolated incidents. They are symptoms of a cultural erosion — a slow and quiet abandonment of the values that once defined us as a people. In the Bahamas I grew up in, you did not neglect your mother. You did not mistreat your father. You did not abandon the woman who raised you or the man who provided for you. That was not who we were. But somewhere along the way, something shifted. The bonds of family obligation loosened. The culture of reverence weakened. And our elders — the very foundation upon which this nation was built — have borne the cost.”
State Minister Rolle said the Older Persons Rights, Protections, Care and Support Bill, 2026 “is our answer.”
“Not merely a legislative answer — but a moral one. This Bill is intended to strengthen and restore the culture of honour for our mothers and fathers. To declare, in the full authority of the law, that the people of The Bahamas will not stand by while the generation that built this country is cast aside.”
State Minister Rolle said passage of the Bill will place The Bahamas at the forefront of a global movement, while sending a clear message as to how serious the country takes its obligations to its Older Persons.
“The United Nations has long recognized the human, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of older persons. The UN Principles for Older Persons emphasize independence, participation, care, self-fulfillment, respect, dignity and non-discrimination.
“Globally, we are witnessing a demographic shift toward an increasingly ageing population — and The Bahamas is no exception. This Bill acknowledges that reality and positions our nation to meet it with foresight, compassion and institutional strength.
“Passage of the legislation, sends a signal — not only to our own people, but to the international community — that The Commonwealth of The Bahamas takes its obligations to its elder citizens seriously. That we are building the legal architecture to support an ageing population with dignity, not just charity.
“I now call upon every Member of this Honourable House — on both sides of the aisle — to lend your voice, your vote and your moral authority to this Bill. This is not a partisan matter. Every one of us has a mother. Every one of us has a father. Every one of us, God willing, will one day be an older person ourselves. The protections we establish today are the protections we are building for our own futures and for the futures of those we love.
“Mr. Speaker, I want to be clear. This Bill is necessary. Its provisions are strong. Its penalties are real. But no piece of legislation alone can restore what has been lost in the hearts of a people.
“Law can punish the abuser. Law can compel the negligent family member. Law can establish systems of care and accountability. But only a transformation of culture can truly protect our elders. Only a return to the values that Scripture teaches and that our grandparents lived can rebuild the foundation.
“This Bill, therefore, is both a legal instrument and a moral declaration. It says to every Bahamian: we are a people who honour our mothers and fathers. We are a people who believe that the generation that sacrificed for us deserves our sacrifice in return. We are a people who understand that when we lift up our elders, we lift up ourselves — and when we abandon them, we invite the judgement of God and the decay of our own society.
“I rise today with a deep sense of purpose and solemn responsibility. The matter before this Honourable House is not a matter of politics alone. It is a matter of conscience. It is a matter of culture. It is, I submit, a matter of divine instruction.”
State Minister Rolle said the Bill also provides the families of Older Persons a framework of support — day care, home care, nursing services, assistive technologies, legal assistance, and financial literacy.
“It is not designed to punish good families. It is designed to protect the vulnerable from those who would do them harm and to strengthen those who are trying their best.
“To the elders of this nation, I say directly: you are not forgotten. You are not invisible. You are the pillars upon which this country stands, and this Parliament sees you. This Bill is for you
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