RIGHT or WRONG? No-smoking ordinances

Posted: 7/20/07

RIGHT or WRONG?
No-smoking ordinances

Cities and towns across the country are debating no-smoking ordinances. This seems imbalanced—the wants of some citizens are overruling the rights of others. Where should a Christian come down?

Balancing the rights of individuals against the health and welfare of the public has been hotly contested. Should a veteran who has risked life to defend freedom have the right to smoke in a public place? Increasingly, local governments are saying “No” and writing strict ordinances that prohibit or limit smoking in public spaces. Is this an infringement on freedom that Christians should resist?

The answer is “No.” Smoking bans are reasonable restrictions on individual rights to protect public health. The scientific evidence is clear and unanimous—secondhand smoke can be a killer if an individual is regularly exposed to it. In June 2006, Surgeon General Richard Carmona stated secondhand smoke dramatically increases the risk of heart disease and lung cancer in nonsmokers and can be controlled only by making indoor spaces smoke-free.

“The health effects of secondhand smoke exposure are more pervasive than we previously thought,” Carmona said in the Washington Post. “The scientific evidence is now indisputable: Secondhand smoke is not a mere annoyance. It is a serious health hazard that can lead to disease and premature death in children and nonsmoking adults.”

The surgeon general’s report notes exposure to smoke at home or work increases nonsmokers’ risk of developing heart disease by 25 percent to 30 percent and lung cancer by 20 percent to 30 percent. It especially is dangerous for children living with smokers and causes sudden infant death syndrome, respiratory problems, ear infections and asthma attacks. Because mechanical filtration does not eliminate these risks, the report concludes, “Nonsmokers need protection through the restriction of smoking in public places and workplaces and by a voluntary adherence to policies at home.”

Individuals have the legal right to harm their own health by over-eating, drinking excessively or smoking. But an individual does not have the right to endanger others’ health and safety. A person’s right to free speech is reasonably limited by ordinances that make it illegal to shout “Fire” falsely in a crowded public place where the ensuing stampede could cause injury or death. Smoking bans are based on the same principle. For the waitresses and other employees, and for the public, it is reasonable to limit the rights of an individual to smoke to protect others’ right to healthy public spaces.

For Christians who are called to put the good of others first, as Christ did, and to consider their own bodies the temple of the Holy Spirit, limiting smoking in public places (and voluntarily in the home) is clearly the right thing to do.

Alan Stanford, director of mission advancement

Baptist World Alliance

Falls Church, Va.

Right or Wrong? is sponsored by the T.B. Maston Chair of Christian Ethics at Hardin-Simmons University's Logsdon School of Theology. Send your questions about how to apply your faith to btillman@hsutx.edu.

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