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State legislatures have been busy since sessions started last month. And a troubling trend quickly emerged - bills that would exempt houses of worship from any emergency order. One of these bills already passed the #arkleg last week. 1/
It's been ~1,000 years since began working from home if we can and wearing masks. I'm lucky that I can work from home, and it's sucked! But it's also been necessary to stop the spread of this deadly disease. 2/
Science showed that “the more people an individual interacts with at a gathering and the longer that interaction lasts, the higher the potential risk of becoming infected with COVID-19." 3/ https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/large-events/considerations-for-events-gatherings.html
In response, about 2/3 of states limited mass gatherings, whether they were community events, sports, concerts, lectures, or in-person religious services. As the disease continued to spread, the size limits got smaller. To keep people safe! And healthy! And alive! 4/
Many many many houses of worship shut down on their own, wanting to protect the health of their members. Some moved to virtual services. Or they held services outside, under social distancing rules. But some decided to sue. 5/
A few cases got all the way to the Supreme Court, which has issued several opinions that make clear that government can place limitations on houses of worship. Just last Friday, the Court upheld California's restrictions where they limit houses of worship to 25% capacity. 6/
If you haven't been tracking the issue the whole time, it might be a little confusing. But don't worry, @americansunited has you covered with a whole page about it. There's even an FAQ doc! https://bit.ly/371zZty 7/ https://www.au.org/tags/protecting-religious-freedom-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic
So if you've stuck with me this far, you're probably asking what is the deal with these state bills? Well, to be honest, there are a lot of different kinds. The most extreme exempt houses of worship from any emergency order issued by state or local government. 8/
Missouri is debating one of these bills right now. A provision of the Committee Substitute for SB 12 would prohibit government officials from adopting any public health or emergency measures that even INDIRECTLY impacts religious activities. #moleg 9/
HOWs have already been the source of COVID-19 outbreaks across the country. If the government can't limit attendance at houses of worship, it will continue to spread. It wouldn't just affect the congregation-it risks the health of everyone they meet! 10/ https://www.kmbc.com/article/health-officials-in-jackson-county-warn-of-covid-19-coronavirus-exposures-at-3-local-churches/34482955
And the would apply to EVERY emergency, not just pandemics. So if the state were hit by flooding, the governor wouldn't be able to enforce orders that keep all buildings in certain areas, including houses of worship,
off limits because of damage. 11
off limits because of damage. 11
I can think of at least 10 more equally troubling examples off the top of my head. And there are probably hundreds more I haven't thought of. That's reason enough right there to not pass provisions like this into law. 12/
The bottom line is that prohibiting government from issuing any orders that affect houses of worship will result in people getting sick, injured, or worse. So Missouri-and all the other states considering bills like this-should vote them down. 13/13.
