I was born and raised in the church, the oldest of 6 children, to feminist parents who taught me that I was worth just as much as any boy. From my earliest memories, I have always loved being a girl and it was a shock to me to encounter places where femaleness wasn’t valued as highly as I felt it should be. Unfortunately, one of those places was the Church I love and to which I have dedicated much of my life.
I went to BYU, served a mission, married in the temple and have held many callings over the years in Relief Society, Primary, and Young Women. The more callings I held, the more I noticed the limitations placed on women. From Nursery leader to Relief Society president, there is always someone who can overturn decisions and that someone is always a man. Inspiration is available to all, but because of the current organizational structure, female inspiration is valued less than male. I feel that this is a result of our culture and not a divine decree. From a purely practical perspective, all benefit when men and women occupy an equal space and share equal power and authority. And from a spiritual view, we are missing out on many potentially wonderful experiences for half of the Church’s membership.
Women in our not-so-distant history performed blessings of comfort and healing. As a mother of two, I long for the day when sisters can once again bless each other, their husbands and their children with the power that rightfully belongs to all of God’s children. I believe that women should be ordained.