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Official Statement on the Vote for Speaker of the House
This week, when members of the House of Representatives reconvene to vote for a speaker, they will have the opportunity to demonstrate their enduring commitment to our Constitutional system of government. While a handful of extremists have precipitated a crisis of leadership, an equally small number of courageous and reasonable actors have the opportunity to exhibit bipartisanship and restore faith in ethical governance. As leaders and members of Mormon Women for Ethical Government, we ask all members of Congress, regardless of party affiliation, to find a pathway to the election of a speaker who has proven they will support the peaceful transfer of power. We are once again faced with…
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Official Statement on the Peaceful Execution of the 2022 Midterm Elections
As principled voters and engaged citizens, members of Mormon Women for Ethical Government (MWEG) are actively praying and diligently working to ensure a peaceful election this midterm season. We continue to assert that every eligible voter has a right to participate in our democracy, and we encourage our members to be informed, to be principled, and “to exercise this precious and hard-won right with a measure of responsibility and compassion.” We are women of faith who know that “[t]he freedom to vote is a clear political manifestation of the individual worth of souls.” Recognizing this worth, and loving our neighbors as ourselves, we are compelled to protect their votes. MWEG’s…
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Official Statement on the Shooting in Uvalde: Counteracting Violence with the Power of Peacemaking
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” — 2 Tim. 1:6–7 This week in Uvalde, Texas, a shooter ended 21 lives and forever altered countless others. As the tragically familiar responses once again play out in news and social media, we can feel fear permeating our conversations: Parents are afraid for their children, trauma from past shootings is revisited, and our most important shared spaces have become killing grounds. Some Americans are afraid of the proliferation of guns, while others fear that their right to own guns may be threatened. Fear motivates the purchase of even…
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Official Statement on the Buffalo Shooting, Replacement Theory, and White Supremacy
With broken hearts we mourn the senseless loss of 10 beloved children of God who were killed in a grocery store in Buffalo, N.Y., on May 14. Celestine Chaney, Roberta Drury, Katherine Massey, Heyward Patterson, Aaron Salter, Pearl Young, Ruth Whitfield, Margus Morrison, Andre Mackneil, and Geraldine Talley were civil rights activists, community volunteers, parents, siblings, and friends. They were victims of a direct attack on a Black community — an attack that is emblematic of a rising wave of violence driven by white supremacists in the U.S. The alleged shooter sought to do more than kill. It was his intent to use this act of terrorism to promote the…
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Official Statement from the Arizona Chapter of Mormon Women for Ethical Government on the ACC Energy Rules Vote
We believe the land and the air around us are a gift, and we are responsible for their care. Individual efforts to “safeguard the earth and her resources for our children and generations that follow” are important but insufficient on their own. Reasonable, well-written policies can help to ensure sustainability. Last Wednesday, January 26, the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC), by a vote of 3-2, rejected the Energy Rules package that would have required the state’s regulated electric utilities to reduce their carbon emissions to combat climate change. The Energy Rules were drafted over a period of several years and drew upon judgment from industry experts, public utility companies, and Arizona…
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Official Statement on the January 6 Anniversary
One year ago, on January 6, 2021, America watched in horror as a violent mob stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to disrupt Congress and claim the presidency by unlawful means. While the insurrectionists did not succeed in their aim, they nonetheless stole something as important as an election — our national confidence in the peaceful transfer of power, and our faith in our fellow citizens. This year we have lived with a fractured and fragile peace. Before January 6, our electoral processes were a hopeful manifestation of positive peace — constructive and generative engagement with the opposition. As a nation, we had attitudes, systems, and institutions that promoted…
