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Politics

Scotland: Christian charity says assisted suicide would open 'Pandora's Box of harms'

by Alex Collett

Christian charity CARE has warned assisted suicide proposals lodged in the Scottish Parliament on Thursday threaten to open a "Pandora's Box of harms" 

Scottish Lib Dem MSP Liam McArthur lodged his "Proposed Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults" (Scotland) Bill at Holyrood.

If the bill becomes law, it will allow terminally adults in Scotland to access lethal drugs from the state to end their own lives.

Jamie Gillies, senior press officer from CARE told Premier the proposed bill carry's many risks: " I think, as Christians, we need to be very concerned about, you know, morally speaking, we're talking about people participating in the taking of human life, which we know very clearly from scripture is wrong.

"Looking to other countries where this law is in place, we can also see lots of very bad abuses. 

"So we see the lobbying expanded to allow people who might be vulnerable or marginalised, to take their own life, people with disabilities, people with mental health conditions like depression, even children, in some countries. 

"What you've seen, really is that this legislation, anti-equality, it creates more discrimination against certain groups in society, like the disabled."

Gillies wants urged Christians in Scotland, and in the UK, to take an interest in this issue and to consider writing to the politicians, and committing it to prayer. 

Gillies said: "Because we want to see a Scotland which champions the sanctity of human life, which cares for the vulnerable.

"We want to see truly compassionate interventions on behalf of people with terminal illness, we want to be helping people to access the care that they need, whether that's medical, or psychological, or spiritual, and be helped to live rather than under drugs, which actually will cause a very protected protracted and painful death.

"It's sensible, it's wise to keep the door closed and help people who are suffering, give them truly compassionate support."
 

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