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CARE's Manifesto for Scotland
• supporting democratic institutions
• influencing issues from a Christian perspective
The elections on 3rd May to the Scottish Parliament provide an opportunity to take stock on the achievements of the Scottish Parliament.
The first two terms of the Parliament have seen the introduction of legislation and policies which have sought to make Scotland a more equal society.
Whilst we believe that all people should be treated with dignity and respect, we are concerned that this push for equality has been at the expense of a traditional Christian view of family life, which is inherently good for society.
Increasingly there are pressures to exclude Christian perspectives from, or agencies from operating in, the public life of our nation.
CARE is greatly concerned by these developments and has drawn up this manifesto to help to open up a debate about the future direction of social policy in Scotland. We would encourage politicians to recognise that the Christian faith and faith-based social action have a crucial role in creating a truly socially inclusive society.
Moreover, we believe that Government needs to recognise that there is a spiritual dimension underpinning many of Scotland’s social ills and that this can only be addressed by giving faith communities in general, and Christian agencies in particular, the freedom and resources to address this problem.
We call on all Parliamentary and Council candidates to commit to:
- by safeguarding the right of all Scots to express and practise their religious convictions without harassment, coercion or persecution
- by encouraging the funding of Christian and other faith-based initiatives which provide a valuable social service
- by advocating that Government at national and local levels develop strategies for working in partnership with faith-based agencies
- by resisting attempts to introduce physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia
- by ensuring that high quality palliative care is available across Scotland, both in hospital and in the community
- by increasing the resources available for drug rehabilitation programmes
- by developing an enhanced system of informed consent, including pre-abortion counselling and heightened awareness of post-abortion trauma, which would be a mandatory part of the process leading to termination
- by encouraging the Scottish Executive to sign the regional protocol of the Council of Europe’s Convention on Human Trafficking
- by investing the resources required for an all-Scotland strategy to end human trafficking and provide effective routes out of prostitution, including the provision of safe houses
- by strengthening the emphasis on the Christian tradition of Scotland in the life of non-denominational schools, both in the formal and informal curriculum
- by requiring local authorities to facilitate the provision of abstinence-based approaches to sex and relationship education in schools
- by placing a duty on local authorities to assess the level of demand for faith-based schooling and to respond to this demand where it exists
- by recognising the social and economic costs of family breakdown
- by encouraging the Scottish Executive and local authorities to promote marriage as a key factor in creating stable families and secure communities
- by encouraging the Scottish Executive and local authorities to fund marriage preparation and parenting courses in partnership with faith-based agencies
- by encouraging the Scottish Executive to set targets for promoting marriage and reducing divorce rates in Scotland
- by funding a significant increase in affordable housing
- by promoting approaches to homelessness which recognise the need to rebuild family and community relationships
- by recognising that stable and secure families, most often based on marriage, are a key aspect of sustainable development
- by recognising that the breakdown of family life puts pressure on resources, including increased demand for housing and development in the greenbelt
