Recently the Boy Scouts of America distanced itself from the Girl Scouts and entered into an agreement with American Heritage Girls to provide mutual support to one another.
The mission of Boy Scouts has always been to prepare young men to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Scout Law. Okay, but where are the Girl Scouts in this picture and who are American Heritage Girls?
American Heritage Girls was founded to offer faith-based leadership and character development programs to girls age five to eighteen. Its mission is to “build women of integrity through service to God, family, community and country.” The small all-girl unit within the American Heritage Girls troop structure provides a nurturing environment for learning and building positive relationships, character development and spiritual enrichment.
At this point you may be thinking this is what Girl Scouts have been doing. Well, the Girl Scout’s Executive Director, Marty Evans, has boasted, “We’re not your mother’s Girl Scout troop.” How true! Let’s take a closer look at why this is the case.
It is quite obvious that Boy Scouts are now considered a controversial group because they won’t allow homosexual troop leaders. You may also be thinking that the Girl Scouts aren’t controversial. These cute little girls who sell you cookies are all sugar and spice and everything nice? Well, not if the current generation of Girl Scout leaders has anything to say about it. For they hope to make these little girls the “shock troops” of an ongoing feminist revolution.
Let’s look back on the history of Girl Scouts, for change has been slowing coming on for years. In 1972, they dropped loyalty to their country from their oath in favor of “I will do my best to be honest and fair.” 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.” But the Scout manual notes that the word “God” can be interpreted in a number of ways depending on one’s spiritual beliefs. “When reciting the Girl Scout Promise, it is okay to replace the word God with whatever word your spiritual beliefs dictate.”1 Note that Boy Scouts have been sued over keeping God’s name obligatory in their oath.
Central to these changes has been achieving affirmative action for girls visa vie boys. This mandates gender equality in sports and endorsement of affirmative action in “recruitment, hiring, training and promoting.” They are taught to support a decision to pull a life support system from a dying relative and (here it comes) given information and justification for “ending a pregnancy.”2
They still sell cookies, but here are some new badges to earn: “domestic violence awareness, stress management, girl power and decisions for your life”3 (teen pregnancy, etc.). 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.4
- In Connecticut, Girl Scouts honored a Planned Parenthood official for promoting “healthy practices” in local troops.4
- In Amarillo, TX, Girl Scouts have sponsored Planned Parenthood sex-ed seminars for 4th through 8th graders.4
The following quotes indicate the Girl Scouts are abandoning their original foundation on biblical principles consisting of definite moral rights and wrongs:
- “You can rarely state that something is definitely right or wrong.” (See Exploring Spirituality-WAGGGS 2000)5
- “There is no right way to live, look, talk, dress, eat, or act.” (See Brownie/Girl Scout Handbook-1993)6
- In Amarillo, TX, Girl Scouts have sponsored Planned Parenthood sex-ed seminars for 4th through 8th graders.”Our movement is secular and founded on American democratic principles, one of which is freedom of religion.” (See What We Stand For-2003)7
Jim Sedlak of the organization Stop Planned Parenthood has stated that the Girl Scouts have said they would not take a position on abortion or birth control. That is the “official” position. However, many troops affiliate and work with Planned Parenthood, which is the largest provider of abortions in the United States. Further, their sex education programs are obviously aimed at young people and getting kids into sexual situations, which of course means more abortions for Planned Parenthood.
One of the initial controversies was quite revealing. 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.8 The Waco, Texas area council then called for a boycott of the annual Girl Scout cookie 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.”9 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 areas disbanded or severed ties with National Girl Scouts. However, this remained relatively local and did not spread nationally at the time.
While the Girl Scouts claim neutrality on abortion, their website is clear. The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts promoted their participation in a march advocating “sexual and reproductive [abortion] rights.” The participants demanded the following rights:10
- All young people must have access to comprehensive sexuality education and sexual and reproductive [abortion] health services, including contraption and emergency contraception, in order to avoid unintended pregnancies.10
- Accessible, affordable and safe abortions should be made part of the minimum packages of sexual and reproductive health services.10
The World Association of Girl Scouts hosted a panel at the United Nations annual commission on the status of women. According to the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute, the Girl Scouts allowed Planned Parenthood to distribute a booklet entitled, “Healthy, Happy and Hot.”11 Much of it was too sexually explicit to print in this article. It purports to be a sex guide, advocating every imaginable kind of sexual activity stating, “There is no right or wrong way to have sex. Just have fun, explore and be yourself.”11 Clearly, nothing is off limits, even for children below the age of consent.
Regis Nicoll, in an article on Charles Colson’s Breakpoint website, states, “Planned Parenthood is a welcomed guest in 20% of the Girl Scout Councils nationwide.”12 During such events, the attendees are given the “It’s Perfectly Normal” book. Planned Parenthood believes that sexual activity of any kind is a human right at any age. It is never too early to start.
The Boy Scouts went to the US Supreme Court to fight attempts by homosexuals to assume leadership positions in Boy Scout organizations. Sadly, the Girl Scouts did not welcome a similar guideline. 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.”13
And then there is the Covenant of the Goddess. This is a Wiccan “witch” website that describes their awards program. There is an Over the Moon Award, age 8 to 11, and a Heart and Crescent Award, age 12 to 18. These are offered to “any young person who is a member of any nature-oriented religion (Wicca, Druid, Asatru, etc.) These award patches are to be worn on the Girl Scout uniform.13
In the last two years, the Girl Scouts have launched a new leadership program. It purports to take the Girl Scouts on a series of “age specific” journeys, culminating with senior scouts becoming ambassadors to “change the world for the global good.”
Has Girl Scouting been captured and brain-washed by New Age theorist? No, it has not been captured; its leadership has voluntarily surrendered. This venture in moral relevance began 40 years ago when the Girl Scout laws went from a standard of clear cut absolutes to a series of suggestions which began with “I will do my best to.” and then made the word “God” an option in the pledge. Now it may well be that a continuing flow of the membership will do the same.
So if you think that your 12-year-old daughter, who joined the Scouts to go hiking, collect leaves, make candles and to do bird-watching is in safe hands, it may be time to for you to investigate what your Girl Scout troop and council are doing. We certainly should emphasize that there are hundreds of troops that still observe the traditional family-centered, God-centered practices of the original Girl Scouts. But they are now fewer and fewer, for the philosophy coming down from national is spreading. In the meantime, please understand there are almost four million Girl Scouts, each of whom pay a yearly membership fee directly to the national office. In 2009 alone, this brought in over $32,518,000 to its national treasury.14 Several years ago, the National Catholic Registrar noted that there are still some Christian people in its leadership but, “we are outnumbered. The feminists have been infiltrating for too long. We should have started fighting back years ago.”
American Heritage Girls
An alternative does exist. In a response to the radical left capture of the leadership of the Girl Scouts of America, Patti Garibay, a former Girl Scout leader, founded the national American Heritage Girls in 1995 in Cincinnati. It has 300 troops in 38 states, with over 12,000 members and a presence in 3 countries. Its program includes the Judeo-Christian values that our countries were founded on. It strives to enhance the girl’s life experiences with fun-filled activities supervised by trained adults, supported by family members and to do all the things that Girl Scouting was originally founded to do. As noted above: In the National Girl Scout Promise it reads, “I will try to serve God,” God now has an asterisk indicating that you can interpret this word any way you wish and substitute it with any other word. Patti Garibay says, “God in our lives is not optional. We believe that character-building programs for youth, such as scouting, demand a moral compass. Our scouting programs are based on a philosophical basis of biblical truths and a continued commitment to assist girls as they grow in their relationship with Christ.” American Heritage Girls takes this oath: I promise to love God. Cherish my family. Honor my country. And serve in my community.
For more information on this alternative to Girl Scouts, contact: American Heritage Girls, 175 Tri-County Parkway, Suite 100, Cincinnati, OH 45246. www.ahgonline.org or 513.771.2025
A Word from Dr. James Dobson
I would like to offer an alternative to Girl Scouts of the USA which I can no longer recommend to parents. That organization has changed radically since 1993 when it began making references to God “optional” and marking the word with an asterisk. Then came mandates against Christmas caroling, praying at meetings and singing hymns. Now we see a surge toward the left that is deeply disturbing to many Christian parents.
For example as part of Girl Scouts United States of America, A Maze Program for middle school scouts, the girls read a quote from Buddha and are encouraged to explore mazes and stone or dirt labyrinths-symbols rooted in pagan mythology and the New Age movement. They are used as meditation tools along with “transformation circles.” Eastern mysticism through Zen Gardens and Buddhist writings are part of the curriculum. Moral relativism is evident throughout, which teaches that ethical issues are up to the individual. GSUSA’s definition of right and wrong includes the statement “whatever is consistent with your character.” The curriculum has a strong, anti-boy tone. Boys are mentioned only in negative situations. There is minimal emphasis on mother, father or family. Girls are not taught pride of country. The United States is depicted as antiquated and incompatible with globalism. One program involves girls in the United Nations Population Fund. Translated that amounts to a massive effort to limit human procreation by means of abortion.
Many of the female role models lauded by GSUSA are radical feminists, lesbians, existentialists or Communists, including the former chairwoman of the American Communist Party. There is much more to disturb parents including a consistent infusion of lesbian and homosexual propaganda. In short the organization has been “captured” by advocates of an extreme leftist ideology that is now being force-fed to millions of vulnerable girls. Its board of directors and many troop leaders are intent on converting every girl from the youngest Daisy to a mature Ambassador into an “agent of change” who is programmed to implement an extreme international agenda. The media has kept this transformation a secret for more than a decade but it is information that all parents should know.
Dr. Dobson goes on to enthusiastically recommend American Heritage Girls as an alternative organization.
- Girl Scout Promise & Law
Accessed at: http://www.gscoc.org/about-us.aspx?id=12
Permanent Link: www.lifeissues.org/connector/2010/http://lifeissues-old.kingbeardreview.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/1_girl_scouts_promise_law.pdf - N.H. Girl Scouts Squelch Leader for Blowing Whistle On Radical Fem Agenda
Accessed at: http://www.nhcommentary.com/girlscouts.html
Permanent Link: www.lifeissues.org/connector/2010/http://lifeissues-old.kingbeardreview.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/2_girl_scouts_radical_fem_agenda.pdf - The Cookie Crumbles
Accessed at: http://old.nationalreview.com/23oct00/lopez102300.shtml
Permanent Link: www.lifeissues.org/connector/2010/http://lifeissues-old.kingbeardreview.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/3_girl_scouts_cookie_crumbles.pdf - A Cookie Boycott and a Bishop’s Ban – Fighting for the Soul of the Girl Scouts
Accessed at: http://www.ncregister.com/site/article/a_cookie_boycott_and_a_bishops_ban/
Permanent Link: www.lifeissues.org/connector/2010/http://lifeissues-old.kingbeardreview.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/4_girl_scouts_cookie_boycott_and_a_bishops_ban.pdf - Exploring Spirituality – Introduction, page 4
Accessed at: http://www.wagggsworld.org/en/grab/16/1/1ExpSpirIntroduction.pdf
Accessed at: http://www.wagggsworld.org/en/resources/document/view/16
Permanent Link: lifeissues.org/connector/2010/http://lifeissues-old.kingbeardreview.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/5_girl_scouts_wagggs_exploring_spirituality_introduction.pdf - Brownie/Girl Scout Handbook, Girl Scouts of the USA, New York, NY 1993
Permanent Link: lifeissues.org/connector/2010/http://lifeissues-old.kingbeardreview.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/6_girl_scouts_brownie_handbook_1993.pdf - What We Stand For, page7
Accessed at: http://www.gsiec.org/pdf/whatwestandfor.pdf
Permanent Link: www.lifeissues.org/connector/2010/http://lifeissues-old.kingbeardreview.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/7_girl_scouts_what_we_stand_for.pdf - Cookie crumbles: Girl Scout sex furor splits Texas town
Accessed at: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004-03-03-cookie-boycott_x.htm
Permanent Link: www.lifeissues.org/connector/2010/http://lifeissues-old.kingbeardreview.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/8_girl_scouts_cookie_crumbles.pdf - Planned Parenthood gives kids ‘porn’ book, Conference that excludes parents distributes explicit material
Accessed at: http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=25621
Permanent Link: www.lifeissues.org/connector/2010/http://lifeissues-old.kingbeardreview.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/9_girl_scouts_explicit_material.pdf
New Baylor exec backs Planned Parenthood youth program
Accessed at: http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=20717
Permanent Link: www.lifeissues.org/connector/2010/http://lifeissues-old.kingbeardreview.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/9_girl_scouts_planned_parenthood.pdf - World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts
Accessed at: http://www.wagggsworld.org/en/CSW54/Day6
Permanent Link: www.lifeissues.org/connector/2010/http://lifeissues-old.kingbeardreview.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/10_girl_scouts_wagggs_abortion.pdf - Girl Scouts Distribute Planned Parenthood Sex Guide at UN Meeting
Accessed at: http://www.c-fam.org/publications/id.1589/pub_detail.asp
Permanent Link: www.lifeissues.org/connector/2010/http://lifeissues-old.kingbeardreview.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/11_girl_scouts_planned_parenthood_sex_un.pdf
Healthy, Happy and Hot, page 7
Accessed at: http://www.ippf.org/NR/rdonlyres/B4462DDE-487D-4194-B0E0-193A04095819/0/HappyHealthyHot.pdf
Permanent Link: lifeissues.org/connector/2010/http://lifeissues-old.kingbeardreview.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/11_girl_scouts_planned_parenthood_happy_healthy_hot.pdf - No Choice This Season, Life Is Worth Celebrating
Accessed at: http://www.breakpoint.org/features-columns/breakpoint-columns/entry/2/1708
Permanent Link: lifeissues.org/connector/2010/http://lifeissues-old.kingbeardreview.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/12_girl_scouts_no_choice_this_season.pdf
Unhealthy and Unhappy, Planned Parenthood’s Advice to Girl Scouts
Accessed at: http://www.breakpoint.org/commentaries/14856-unhealthy-and-unhappy
Permanent Link: lifeissues.org/connector/2010/http://lifeissues-old.kingbeardreview.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/12_girl_scouts_planned_parenthood_unhealthy_and_unhappy.pdf - Girl Scouts New Radicalism, “All I really needed to know about being a lesbian I learned at Girl Scout Camp.”
Accessed at: http://www.onenewsnow.com/Perspectives/Default.aspx?id=160368
Permanent Link: lifeissues.org/connector/2010/http://lifeissues-old.kingbeardreview.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/13_girl_scouts_new_radicalism.pdf
Girl Scouts New Radicalism Covenant of the Goddess.
Accessed at:http://www.onenewsnow.com/Perspectives/Default.aspx?id=160368
Permanent Link:lifeissues.org/connector/2010/http://lifeissues-old.kingbeardreview.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/13_girl_scouts_new_radicalism.pdf - Consolidated Financial Statements Together With Report of Independent Certified Public Accountants, Girl Scouts of The United States of America, September 30, 2009, page 3 Accessed at: http://www.girlscouts.org/who_we_are/facts/pdf/ar_sept2009_girlscouts.pdf
Permanent Link: lifeissues.org/connector/2010/http://lifeissues-old.kingbeardreview.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/14_girl_scouts_consolidated_financial_statements_gsusa.pdf
what do the girl scouts believe in 2019? Are they still tied to Planned Parenthood?
Please see our post on The Latest – “Update on the Girl Scouts”. It has links to information that will answer your questions.