My daughter has the most beautiful laugh I have ever heard. She is a bundle of joy. She is excited to be here on Earth, and every time she looks at me, she lights up even more. She is only nine months old. As a father, I feel instinctively that I should protect her. For me this need is what helped me to notice inequalities that exist between men and women in the Church.
I grew up in a Mormon household, and looking back, I can see how that experience has blessed my life. That is something I want for my daughter. However, I am painfully aware of how some aspects of the Church will leave her feeling demeaned simply because of her sex. I do not feel that fits with our Heavenly Parents’ plan for us. The gospel is meant to help us come closer to the Saviour and to remember our divine heritage. Parents are supposed to work together as equal companions to bless the lives of their children. If we live worthily, we can become priests and priestesses, and women having the potential to become priestesses suggests that the priesthood is for them also and not intended to be used by only men.
I feel in my heart that ordaining women to the priesthood will strengthen family bonds, bringing husbands and wives closer together, and will allow the Church to realise the equality it claims. So I too add my voice and testimony in the hope that others will hear this message and, if they feel the Spirit testify of its truthfulness, find the courage to act also. I believe women should be ordained.