Proposal 22-1
A proposal to amend the state constitution to require annual public financial disclosure reports by legislators and other state officers and change state legislator term limit to 12 total years in legislature
This proposed constitutional amendment would:
• Require members of legislature, governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, and attorney general file annual public financial disclosure reports after 2023, including assets, liabilities, income sources, future employment agreements, gifts, travel reimbursements, and positions held in organizations except religious, social, and political organizations.
• Require legislature implement but not limit or restrict reporting requirements.
• Replace current term limits for state representatives and state senators with a 12-year total limit in any combination between house and senate, except a person elected to senate in 2022 may be elected the number of times allowed when that person became a candidate.
Should this proposal be adopted?
Proposal 22-2
A proposal to amend the state constitution to add provisions regarding elections.
This proposed constitutional amendment would:
• Recognize fundamental right to vote without harassing conduct;
• Require military or overseas ballots be counted if postmarked by election day;
• Provide voter right to verify identity with photo ID or signed statement;
• Provide voter right to single application to vote absentee in all elections;
• Require state-funded absentee-ballot drop boxes, and postage for absentee applications and ballots;
• Provide that only election officials may conduct post-election audits;
• Require nine days of early in-person voting;
• Allow donations to fund elections, which must be disclosed;
• Require canvass boards certify election results based only on the official records of votes cast.
Should this proposal be adopted?

Proposal 22-3
A proposal to amend the state constitution to establish new individual right to reproductive freedom, including right to make all decisions about pregnancy and abortion; allow state to regulate abortion in some cases; and forbid prosecution of individuals exercising established right
This proposed constitutional amendment would:
• Establish new individual right to reproductive freedom, including right to make and carry out all decisions about pregnancy, such as prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, contraception, sterilization, abortion, miscarriage management, and infertility;
• Allow state to regulate abortion after fetal viability, but not prohibit if medically needed to protect a patient’s life or physical or mental health;
• Forbid state discrimination in enforcement of this right; prohibit prosecution of an individual, or a person helping a pregnant individual, for exercising rights established by this amendment;
• Invalidate state laws conflicting with this amendment.
Should this proposal be adopted?

Resources for You

From V of The Discipline of The Wesleyan Church: A Social Concern

1. The Wesleyan Church seeks recognition by the society which surrounds it of the authority of Almighty God, and the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ, in civil, political, and temporal as well as spiritual matters, and the transformation of that society into the image of Christ insofar as is possible in this present age. It believes that such a transformation of society shall primarily be accomplished by the divine transformation through faith in Christ of the individuals who compose society, but that Christians ought also to manifest social concern in every manner that is in keeping with their Christian testimony. To this end:

(11) Abortion. The Wesleyan Church seeks to recognize and preserve the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death and, thus, is opposed to the use of induced abortion. However, it recognizes that there may be rare pregnancies where there are grave medical conditions threatening the life of the mother, which could raise a serious question about taking the life of the unborn child. In such a case, a decision should be made only after very prayerful consideration following medical and spiritual counseling. The Wesleyan Church encourages its members to become informed about the abortion issue and to become actively involved locally and nationally in the preparation and passage of appropriate legislation guaranteeing protection of life under law to unborn children. (paragraph 410, The Discipline of The Wesleyan Church)

Resources Available:
For Those with Wounds Through Personal Abortion

1. 1. Experience-God’s Grace is Able to Heal
      https://www.godeeperstill.org/

2. Video- i didn’t kNOw
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z236C1-YmK8

3. View Your Sample Ballot
   https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/PublicBallot/Index

POSITIONAL PAPER FROM THE WESLEYAN CHURCH

Sanctity of life

We believe that life is a gift from God and must always be regarded as sacred.

We believe that decisions about the edges of life that were not even contemplated in previous times are now necessary. Although the necessity of making such decisions is new, the way Christians should make decisions has not changed. Where Scripture speaks clearly, we should obey. We should pray fervently, listening for answers. We should examine the historic positions of the Church. We should get advice from godly people. We should listen to our own consciences. We should try to obtain consensus when others are involved.

Abortion

We believe that abortion is the taking of human life; therefore, society brings grave danger to itself by permitting abortion on demand, and thus treating God-given life so lightly. We call our members to oppose this social evil with great vigor. However, we reject the use of violence as a means of bringing about this needed change in society. Except in the case of risk to the life of the mother, The Wesleyan Church stands firm against the evil of abortion—both the personal evil of abortion by any individual among us and the worldwide social evil of abortion, which we believe must someday end. Until that day, we will instruct our people to avoid this sin personally, and call them to the work of enlightening a blind culture, as we once did with the sin of slavery (1996 General Conference).

Abortion resistance

Attention to pro-life values has been riveted to the frequent proactive “sit-ins” by some organizations. Hundreds of persons who feel that abortion-on-demand has resulted in moral bankruptcy for our society have moved into action through demonstrations. Since some methods represent trespassing on private property, it is tantamount to civil disobedience and raises the question of its propriety.
The Scriptures require us to obey civil authority, except where our conscience on the issues requires obedience to a higher authority. In this case, some Christians feel that the killing of the unborn is an issue which calls forth their higher obedience to God and conscience, even at the risk of civil disobedience.
A case in comparison could be made with anti-slavery actions by the underground railway movement years ago in which the Wesleyan Methodist Church was very prominent. Military service is another issue where law and conscience have been in tension. The Church has supported conscience in such matters (Discipline 410:3).

These are not ordinary times and easy answers do not always exist when facing the issues we confront today. Accordingly, the time has come for The Wesleyan Church to speak to the matter of civil disobedience in such cases as the anti-abortion battle.

The following are the convictions of the General Superintendent and the Task Force on Public Morals and Social Concerns:
1. Only non-violent responses to abortion may be commended.
2. Acceptable non-violent responses may be seeking legislative change, peaceful picketing, or even “sit-ins” at abortion clinics.
3. We believe these responses to be legitimate for Christians, in general, and Wesleyans, in particular, in the effort to defeat legalized abortion-on-demand.
4. Wesleyans should be prepared for the consequences which follow these responses in a morally insensitive world.
5. The Wesleyan Church pledges to be equally supportive to those who give an active but non- violent response and to those who by conscience feel restricted to legislative remedies.
6. All Wesleyans raise the prayer to God that He will restore to us in this generation a social righteousness which commends His blessings upon our nations and our posterity.
(Board of General Superintendents and Public Morals and Social Concerns)

Infanticide, euthanasia, and removal of life-support systems

The Wesleyan Church believes “In principle … infanticide and euthanasia are wrong.” There are no justifiable grounds to deliberately end the life of an individual through medical or any other means. However, removal of life-support systems is not to be confused with or considered a part of infanticide or euthanasia. Life-support systems sustain physical life after the natural functions of the body are destroyed or greatly impaired by disease or injury. Their removal is not taking life but rather leaving the natural process of disease or injury to take its course. The Wesleyan Church believes that removing support systems that only prolong physical life-signs, without reasonable medical hope of regaining consciousness, is a matter of conscience for the persons concerned. We urge that families pray and think through the choice they desire to make before being confronted with the actual experience of such a decision. Have a clear understanding with the family and have it in writing (Public Morals and Social Concerns).

Suicide

Suicide is wrong. It is the taking of a life for whatever reason. To take one’s life while fully rational is presumption on the atonement of Christ. We must leave the fate of such in the hands of a merciful God. The Wesleyan Church believes the atonement is:unconditionally effective in the salvation of those mentally incompetent from birth, of those converted persons who have become mentally incompetent, and of children under the age of accountability. But it is effective for the salvation of those who reach the age of accountability only when they repent and exercise faith in Christ (Discipline 226).
The unconditional provision of the atonement covers the act of suicide of Christians who are irrational at the time the act occurs (Public Morals and Social Concerns).

Capital punishment

The Wesleyan Church believes that capital punishment should be reserved for those crimes committed in serious circumstances which are clearly defined by law and administered by justice (Public Morals and Social Concerns).
Extraordinary pain-killing treatment
We do not oppose giving extraordinary pain-killing treatment to those who are in severe pain, and who, barring a miracle, are not going to recover. Such treatment may be hazardous, but we do not oppose administration, as long as the purpose in giving it is to relieve pain, rather than to attempt to kill, or to release a hospital bed. Extraordinary pain- killing treatment of a terminal patient may be habit-forming, but, unless the patient refuses it, there seems no reason not to administer such treatment, if the patient is going to die shortly, anyway (Public Morals and Social Concerns).

Donation of body parts

There seems to be no scriptural reason not to make body parts available for helping others. As Discipline 246 states, “The raised body will be a spiritual body.” Our resurrection is in the hands of the Omnipotent, and His ability to resurrect us is not dependent on whether or not all our body parts were connected at death. Although Discipline 265:3, 10 was not written explicitly to cover body parts to others, the scriptural principles behind these paragraphs apply to donation of body parts. What is said about body parts also applies to the total dead body. One of the ways that Christians can do good is to request that their bodies be donated to a medical school for use in teaching (Public Morals and Social Concerns).

Summary

Life is a gift of God. It is sacred. Christians are compared to light and as such are expected to have a pervading influence for good in society. Also, Christians are to exert a salting impact on our world. By word of mouth and by godly living, Christians should strongly influence sanctity- of-life issues.
Whatever anyone says or writes about reincarnation or pleasurable “out-of-body” experiences, we believe that the Bible teaches that there is a final end to the natural physical life of every person, that each person will be judged, and that the only way to a pleasurable experience after death is through Christ’s atonement (cf. Discipline 248, 250).
(Public Morals and Social Concerns)