Christian leaders plead for constitutional protection unborn children

“On the third week of Advent, we stand up for life beginning at conception and ending at natural death, and celebrate the Sunday of Life”, the leaders state. They are particularly concerned about abortions. “There are political forces that want to include the access to abortion in the Constitution. Instead, we believe that the unborn child is worthy of protection by the Constitution.”

The leaders argue that the right to life is written in several international conventions, such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the European Convention, and the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Another concern for the leaders is the fact that Sweden fired two “competent and compassionate midwives” from working in a maternity ward. Both refused to perform abortions. According to the leaders, it is “not far-fetched to imagine that conditions will become harsh in a work environment where there is no space for one’s conscience.”

As they also plead against euthanasia, the leaders appeal to the human sense that “a society can be judged on its care for vulnerable groups.” These include, according to them, “sick, disabled and elderly people.”

The leaders argue that self-determination is not a good argument in favour of euthanasia. “The patient who wishes to end his life must submit to a bureaucratic apparatus which then decides for them whether they meet the right criteria.”

In addition, many people live with the fear that they burden others and therefore choose to end their life. That should not be the case, according to the Christian leaders. “In difficult situations, patients need to be able to trust a care system based on the Hippocratic oath to “never harm, if possible, cure, often alleviate and always comfort.”