Mormon Women for Ethical Government (MWEG) was founded in January 2017, closely following President Trump’s first inauguration. Since then, the group has grown from a small Facebook group to a national network, hosting thousands of members. As someone who has spent a considerable amount of time studying philosophy and ethics, I decided to join the group and see what they had to offer; I was sorely disappointed in what I saw.
I saw a network of like-minded women banding together to be more active in their political climates, to share resources and opinions, and to plan events together that revolve around politics. I have yet to see a single post, comment, or resource that actually discusses ethics, or any sort of political philosophy behind current events. This is not, in fact, a group that advocates for ethical government. It is a group that advocates for their shared or preferred ideology, with a concerning penchant for myopia and emotional reasoning. MWEG is the perfect real-life example of an echo chamber.
I have now been a member of MWEG for about 6 months, and I have observed a public social media page full of posts about peace and respect across the political spectrum. Then I log into my private member account and see a community message board full of posts that do little else but criticize President Trump, Elon Musk, and Mike Lee. Their community board goes back to January 2024, and even then, the members spent most of their time criticizing President Trump along his campaign trail.
In fact, I had the opportunity to join a zoom meeting last winter that discussed how we can best help our “undocumented migrant” friends and neighbors; the speakers encouraged us to do things like offer rides to school for the children of illegal immigrants, or buy and deliver their groceries for them so they could stay inside and minimize risk of deportation. The meeting also included testimonies of finding peace during this time of “oppression” and “dehumanization.” Not once did I hear mention of the Twelfth Article of Faith, nor did I hear any discussion on whether current immigration laws are ethical or not. The only topic discussed was that of giving illegal immigrants preferential treatment because it was so terrible that they have to live in fear of being caught by law enforcement.
A recent article in the Daily Universe praises MWEG as an organization that “stands out as a model of bipartisan cooperation, proving that engagement does not have to be antagonistic…” While the forum discussions and posts may not be considered blatantly antagonistic, I also cannot say that MWEG demonstrates even a modicum of bipartisanship. I read posts (nearly weekly) from despairing women asking for help understanding how their friends and family could possibly be supporting bigotry, hatred, racism, or sexism. The comments are very supportive! Some members will give loving reminders, such as “remember that brainwashing is an extremely powerful tool; these people need our love more than ever now,” or “fear-mongering can trick even the best of us.” The closest this group has come to bipartisan feelings would be their support of John Curtis: I think that says it all!
MWEG’s social media revolves heavily around encouraging viewers to practice political peace and tolerance (to their credit, the advice is sometimes very useful!); this includes a post from January 6th that remarks on the protest at the U.S. Capitol building and a post from November 9th of last year that begs for a peaceful transition of power. Admin did, at least, post a short statement about the July 13th attempt on President Trump’s life, but neglected to say anything about the second attempt on September 15th, instead focusing heavily on the madness of questioning the 2020 election results.
In fact, MWEG has spent tremendous energy combating the suspicion surrounding the 2020 election results, claiming that it is a sign of Trump’s authoritarian tendencies to deny true facts and encourage his supporters to reject the election. They urge their audience to review as much information as possible regarding the election; however, they themselves have neglected to read extremely critical sources which might help justify voters’ suspicion about the results.
The Daily Universe’s article continues to praise MWEG, saying, “MWEG continues that legacy by fostering spaces where women can learn, engage, and lead without fear of political alienation.” In my time observing MWEG, I had trouble finding a single post, public or private, criticizing any leaders on the Left. In fact, during my research before joining, I read an account from a former member who was removed from the group for not being critical enough of right-wing opinions. While I strongly believe that the women of MWEG are good people and have good intentions, I cannot say this group lives up to its name in any way. In all honesty, many of the people who lead this group seem to operate with extreme cunning; from the timing of their “media literacy” posts to their community discussion board, I can profess that this group is not interested in ethical government at all. They are interested in progressive government, and have taken advantage of the “mormons are nice” stereotype just like any other leftist movement.
Written by: Emma Marcois Wilson
Senior Contributor at the Cougar Chronicle
The Cougar Chronicle is an independent student-run newspaper and is not affiliated with Brigham Young University or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Cover Photo: https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/roman-ruins-ancient-host-gm151567248-10268015
MWEG has shown their true colors in several actions. First when President Russel M. Nelson asked people to stop using incorrect nicknames, many groups and individuals found ways to stop misusing the name of an ancient prophet as a nickname. MWEG has failed to do so. Clearly showing thry reject prophetic guidance.
The other telling action was their support of the preposterous and phony allegation against Justice Kavanaugh. It was very clear that they were willing to believe and perpetuate any story no matter how far fetched as long it advanced their political goals.
That a group like this claims to support “ethnics” is a sad case of politicizing and weaponizing terms that used to have politically neutral but agreed upon meaning.
If anyone bothered to skim even one article about MWEG, they’d know exactly what they are a partisan activist cult hiding behind the “ethical Mormon mom” costume. The Cougar Chronicle spelled it out. They preach “bipartisan kindness” in public while their private boards are nonstop anti-Trump, anti-Lee, pro-progressive ranting. Nothing “ethical” about it.
And the best part?
These are the same people who were screaming “No Kings” two minutes ago. Now they’re bowing to a judge like she’s Queen Diana of Utah the second her ruling hands them a Democrat-safe seat. The hypocrisy is unreal.
Don’t lecture anyone about ethics or democracy when your entire strategy is using courts to get the results voters didn’t give you.
MWEG isn’t ethical.
MWEG isn’t bipartisan.
MWEG isn’t principled.
They’re just the “No Kings” crowd trying to crown their own queen.
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