Americans may still see the Girl Scouts of America (GSA) as an apolitical group but the group’s leader has acknowledged a marked change in the GSA. “We’re not your mother’s Girl Scout troup,” GSA executive director Marty Evans has said.
“In 1972, they dropped loyalty to their country from their oath in favor of ‘I will do my best to be honest and fair,’” J. C. Willke writes in the October 2010 issue of the Life Issues Connector newsletter. “In 1975 the first Catholic Archdiocese cut off all support for the Girl Scouts because of their sex-ed program.”
“During 1993, the Girl Scouts made ‘God’ optional in the Girl Scout promise.”
“On my honor, I will try to serve God and my country, to help all people at all times, and to live by the Girl Scout law,” the GSA manual still reads but goes on to advise, “When reciting the Girl Scout Promise, it is okay to replace the word God with whatever word your spiritual beliefs dictate.”
“They still sell cookies, but here are some new badges to earn: ‘domestic violence awareness, stress management, girl power and decisions for your life’ (teen pregnancy, etc.),” Willke states. “Let’s note a few examples of these changes:
- “In Pennsylvania, Junior Girl Scouts (age-12) can attend a workshop on puberty designed by Planned Parenthood to earn their ‘becoming a teen’ badge.
- “In Connecticut, Girl Scouts honored a Planned Parenthood official for promoting ‘healthy practices’ in local troops.
- “In Amarillo, TX, Girl Scouts have sponsored Planned Parenthood sex-ed seminars for 4th through 8th graders.”
The Life Issues Connector is published by the Life Issues Institute. Willke is an MD. “In one of the scouting books, there are coming-of-age stories such as an essay entitled, “All I really needed to know about being a lesbian I learned at Girl Scout Camp.” Dr. Willke recounts.
Dr. Willke lays out other quotes from recent Girl Scout literature that give an idea of just how far the GSA has gone to “modernize” the girls:
- “You can rarely state that something is definitely right or wrong.”
- “There is no right way to live, look, talk, dress, eat, or act.”
- “Our movement is secular and founded on American democratic principles, one of which is freedom of religion.”
“A Girl Scout Council in Waco, Texas gave a ‘Woman of Distinction’ award to the local chief of Planned Parenthood who runs an abortion chamber in Waco,” Dr. Willke relates. “The Waco, Texas area council then called for a boycott of the annual Girl Scout cookies sales and voted to end their partnership with Planned Parenthood of Central Texas.”
“The Girl Scout officials denied that they supported Planned Parenthood. However, the Girl Scouts Blue Bonnet Council had sponsored Planned Parenthood’s ‘Nobody’s Fool’ teen and pre-teen educational events in the past.”
“In 2003, Planned Parenthood announced in a ‘Nobody’s Fool’ flyer that every child in 7th through 9th grade would go home with a free copy of the book, It’s Perfectly Normal, and 5th and 6th graders would be given a copy of It’s So Amazing. These books offered sympathetic treatment of abortion, masturbation and homosexuality.”
“Pressure to stop this resulted in a firestorm of protests about the local Girl Scout and Planned Parenthood entanglement. As a result, a number of troops in the Waco and Houston area disbanded or severed ties with National Girl Scouts.”
Malcolm A. Kline is the Executive Director of Accuracy in Academia.
If you would like to comment on this article, e-mail mal.kline@academia.org
