Girl Scouts: Life, Death and Cookies

By Janet Parshall, Special to CP Monday, January 20, 2014

Since 1912, millions of young girls in America have taken an oath that states simply:

On my honor, I will try:
To serve God and my country,
To help people at all times,
And to live by the Girl Scout Law

Sadly, somewhere along the path of history, the Girl Scouts seem to have lost their way. If you go to the website for the Girl Scouts of America, you will read their story. It states, in part that:

"Juliette "Daisy" Gordon Low assembled 18 girls from Savannah, Georgia, on March 12, 1912, for a local Girl Scout meeting. She believed that all girls should be given the opportunity to develop physically, mentally, and spiritually. With the goal of bringing girls out of isolated home environments and into community service and the open air, Girl Scouts hiked, played basketball, went on camping trips, learned how to tell time by the stars, and studied first aid."

If Juliette Low were alive today, I wonder if she would recognize the group she founded. The Girl Scouts have apparently taken a turn into politics and away from the campground.

Recently, the group asked the question: Who would you add to this list? and tweeted a link to an article in The Huffington Post, entitled "Incredible Ladies Who Should Be Women of the Year for 2013." The articles praised, among others, a pro-abortion legislator from Texas. Wendy Davis gained temporary national notoriety when she led a filibuster against pro-life legislation in Texas that would ban abortions after 20 weeks, require abortion offices to meet certain health and safety standards and mandate that only doctors administer abortion-causing drugs. Davis' filibuster proved to be ineffective and the bill passed 97-33.

While the Girl Scouts continue to deny their connection to abortion support, the evidence is mounting. Local Scouts in New York, California and Texas have worked with Planned Parenthood directly. Girl Scouts USA have listed ardent abortion advocates like Gloria Steinem, Betty Friedan and Margaret Sanger as role models for girls. The Girl Scout curriculum lists abortion advocacy groups like the ACLU, OxFam and the Population Council as resources.

While the official position of the Girl Scouts is that they take NO POSITION on abortion, their track record says otherwise.

The latest Planned Parenthood annual report notes that the group did 327,166 abortions in one year compared to 2,197 adoption referrals: that's 149 abortions for each adoption referral.

How does this fit into the mission statement of the Girl Scouts when part of the Girl Scout law is to encourage girls to "make the world a better place?" While partnering even in the most subtle way, with the world's most ardent abortion provider, the Scouts belie who they were meant to me.

There is a sea change in this country resulting in more Americans walking away from abortion and demanding legislation like waiting periods, parental consent, recognition of fetal pain, and adoption reform. Pro-life victories are increasing every year.

As more women learn of the connection between abortion and the Girl Scouts, the more the group will lose support and members – and all the peanut butter patties and thin mints in the world won't bring them back.

Janet Parshall is the host of IN THE MARKET, a nationally syndicated radio program carried on the Moody Broadcasting Network.