Friday, July 30, 2021 | 2 a.m.
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I cannot understand why some are so resistant to mask wearing, and to argue that a government has no authority to require wearing a mask would never have had the support of our Founding Fathers. The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution both show that the Founders had read British political philosophers and understood a government’s role under social contract theory.
Every right is accompanied by a moral obligation, and governments are responsible to keep this truth. For example, even with speed limits, there are those who believe they have no moral responsibility to slow down to reduce the chance of killing a pedestrian or another motorist. How many more deaths would there be if governments did not set speed limits?
The same applies to masks. A person has the right to risk their life by not wearing a mask. They do not, however, have the right not to wear a mask when the life of another is at risk. Not wearing a mask ignores the moral responsibility of the social contract theory upon which our country was founded. A government is morally obligated to encourage, if not require, that masks be worn. This includes children returning to school.
As one who was in school when there was no protection against measles, chickenpox, mumps or polio, a classroom is not like being isolated at home. Smallpox vaccinations were given to the class when I was in first grade.
