We serve on the Board of SOUTH DAKOTA FAITH IN PUBLIC LIFE, a diverse group of religious leaders committed to dialogue about controversial social and political issues. We look for common ground solutions based on moral values, not partisan politics.
We believe that government leaders, like clergy, have a moral obligation to care for the common good. Perhaps the single greatest responsibility of leaders in times of crisis is caring for life.
Public health officials are clear: the best way to end this pandemic is by ensuring all citizens wear a mask in public spaces. But some people have questioned whether a government mandate requiring citizens to wear masks is an infringement of personal freedom.
It’s important to recognize that the choice to wear a mask, or not, affects more than ourselves. Without a mask, an asymptomatic person can spread the virus without knowing they have it. The mask protects others from us.
So the question is: Does the public good that results from mandated mask-wearing outweigh an individual’s right to go out in public without a mask? Government has always set limits on our personal behavior: we do not have the right to text while driving, or to drive drunk, because this puts others at risk. Individual freedom does not include the freedom to harm others. All our religions teach us that we have a moral responsibility not to harm our neighbors.
What are our ethical obligations to others in the middle of a pandemic? The first is to minimize the possibility that we will expose others to this virus by wearing a mask. We also have a moral obligation to support the members in our community who take risks on our behalf, including healthcare providers and essential workers. It is not enough to thank them. We owe them our best efforts to protect their lives. Mandating the wearing of masks will reduce the spread of this virus and save many lives among our essential workers.
Knowing that masks will save lives of the most vulnerable in our population, and the lives of healthcare providers who risk all to save us, how can we not support mandated mask-wearing? Our right to choose whether to wear a mask does not outweigh our obligation not to harm others.
In fact, we believe that “masks are the path to freedom.” Reducing the virus will give everyone the freedom to enter public spaces again, knowing that we can do so safely because everyone is wearing a mask.
Misunderstanding and self-interest have caused the politicization of this issue. We pray that our loving God will calm fears and help us and our leaders focus on what we can do together to save lives.
Rev. Cindy Derks Hoy, Chair, Board of Directors, SD Faith in Public Life
Rev. Dr. Marcia Moret Sietstra, Past Chair, Board of Directors, SD Faith in Public Life
Rev. Dr. Christina O’Hara, Communications, Board of Directors, SD Faith in Public Life
Dr. Philip Thompson, Board of Directors, SD Faith in Public Life
Dr. Chandradhar Dwivedi, Board of Directors, SD Faith in Public Life
Rev. Chris Matson, Board of Directors, SD Faith in Public Life
Rev. Dr. Karen Soli, Board of Directors, SD Faith in Public Life
Dr. Muhammad Zeeshan Qamar, Board of Directors, SD Faith in Public Life
Dr. Maryam Rahim Sheikh, Board of Directors, SD Faith in Public Life
Sr. Pegge Boehm, Board of Directors, SD Faith in Public Life
Rev. Isaiah Brokenleg, Board of Directors, SD Faith in Public Life
Rev. Justin Kosec, Board of Directors, SD Faith in Public Life