Tobacco Control
Rationale for Adventists Advocating Tobacco
Control
“Listen, your brother’s blood is crying
out to me from the ground.”
“Let the little children come to me, and do not
stop them, for it is to such as these that the kingdom of
God belongs.”
WHEREAS tobacco use is the single
largest preventable cause of premature death and disease
in the world today. Each year more than 4 million people
worldwide die prematurely as a result of diseases caused
by tobacco. Unless current trends change, the annual
death toll will rise to 10 million by the year 2030.
WHEREAS tobacco companies specifically target the vulnerable
through pointed and deceptive advertising campaigns. Seven
out of ten annual deaths due to tobacco are in developing
countries. Each day, 80,000 to 100,000 children and teenagers
worldwide become addicted to tobacco, and 250 million children
alive today will die prematurely due to tobacco-related
causes.
WHEREAS Seventh-day Adventists believe that all humans
are created in the image of God, and the body is the Temple
of God. As such, life is a gift to be valued and nutured.
WHEREAS Seventh-day Adventists believe in the special
importance of children, as outlined by Christ while here
on earth, as examples of God’s kingdom and deserving
of nurture, respect and protection.
WHEREAS Seventh-day Adventists hold an Apocalyptic view
of the end of the world, in which all human beings will
be held accountable for their actions, maintaining the central
importance for all followers of Christ to bring justice
now to the weak.
WHEREAS Seventh-day Adventists have a long history
of advocating healthy lifestyles and a rich tradition
of excellence in the maintenance of individual health.
WE
AFFIRM that the manufacture of addictive products that
result in premature, systematic and widespread illness
and death is a genocide, and an act of violence against
God’s creation.
WE AFFIRM that the intentional deception of another
human being which leads, as a result of an apparent free-will
choice, to the enslavement or harm of another human being
is in direct violation of God’s law.
WE AFFIRM that any action taken that will knowingly
harm a child physically is an attack upon particularly
precious human beings.
WE THEREFORE RESOLVE to advocate
for strong public policy on tobacco control, including
raising state taxes on tobacco significantly, handing
control over tobacco to the FDA, and eliminating the
use of deceptive labels such as “low tar” “light” and “mild.”
WE FURTHER RESOLVE to advocate for the banning of all
tobacco advertising, particularly those formats or characters
that specifically target children with intention to mislead.
The Center as Advocate for Tobacco Control
In 1993, Dr. Roy Branson, Director of the Center for Law
and Public Policy, and Jane Hull Harvey, Assistant General
Secretary of the United Methodist Church General Board of
Church and Society, formed what became the only interfaith
coalition on tobacco control, called The Interreligious
Coalition on Smoking or Health. The Coalition is made up
of twenty different faith traditions, including Catholics,
Jews, and Muslims, representing organizations with tens
of millions of members supporting tobacco control legislation.
Adventist leadership of such a Coalition added to a
rich tradition of health awareness and abstinence from
tobacco that dates back to Ellen White’s early
visions on health. Branson has frequently lobbied in
Congressional offices for strong tobacco legislation
with other religious representatives from the Coalition,
as well as representatives from the Campaign for Tobacco
Free Kids, the American Heart Association and the American
Cancer Society.
In the fall of 2002, Branson was called to testify before
the U.S. Delegation to World Health Organization meetings
drafting a Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Branson,
along with a Jewish Rabbi and a Methodist Bishop, spoke
in favor of a strong U.S. position on the Convention to
a panel of representatives from the Departments of State,
Justice, and Health and Human Services.
Branson was also asked by the Campaign for Tobacco Free
Kids to draft a petition to the President of the United
States, which was signed by forty-five prominent religious
leaders of all faiths supporting a strong Framework Convention.
James Winkler, the General Secretary of the United Methodist
Church General Board of Church and Society in replaced a
retired Jane Hull-Harvey in 2002 as the new Coalition Co-chair.
The Coalition continues to be active in the ongoing battle
for FDA regulation of tobacco.
Opportunities for Involvement
If you are interested in getting involved with this issue,
please fill out the form below.
In addition, listed bellow are links to other organizations
working on this issue, as well as periodically updated
events and conventions, as well as letters from the Center
to various branches of government on this issue: all ways
in which you can joint the fight.
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