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Posted on 01/18/2012 4:03:31 PM PST by Morgana
anuary 18, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Cathy Ruse’s article yesterday urging pro-life and pro-family advocates not to buy Girl Scouts of America (GSA) cookies, both because of the organization’s ties to Planned Parenthood and an overall “progressive” agenda, has ignited quite the debate. Not only is the article LifeSiteNews’ most read article of the week, it has also drawn an enormous amount of commentary, both supportive and critical.
Lots of readers agree that GSA’s ties to Planned Parenthood disqualify its cookie initiative from receiving support, while others argue it’s unfair to tar the whole organization with the actions of some GSA bureaucrats and councils, pointing out that the pro-abortion activism doesn’t necessarily (and often doesn’t) filter down to many of the individual troops, which still do a lot of good. One impassioned reader wrote:
I am a Girl Scout leader and I can attest to the fact that I have never heard of any comments about pro-choice or abortion rights from my council or anyone else in the organization and this is certainly not talked about with the girls. We are an all volunteer organization and there are some people that have made mistakes with certain topics, but we are not all that way and certainly do not all support abortion.
The first thing worth noting is that Cathy didn’t say Girl Scouts should get no support at all, but confined her remarks to the cookie sale, pointing out that most of the funds don’t even go to the local troop (troops receive as little as 10% of the profit). Instead, they fund Girl Scout councils or the head office, where the problems originate.
Hence the question that immediately occurred to me after reading Cathy’s article was, would it be all right to directly support your local girl scout troop, in lieu of buying cookies?
But the whole thing might remind some of the “fungibility” problem we see in the Planned Parenthood tax-funding debate: even though they are technically forbidden from using our money for the objectionable stuff (i.e. abortions), any support at all means we’re freeing up money for the organization to do those things we disagree with. Some might say this is what funding any part of GSA amounts to as well.
However, I’m not sure I buy that, since Girl Scouts isn’t a business the way Planned Parenthood is: it’s an organization with largely autonomous troops, with the character of the individual troops largely determined by volunteer troop leaders and the girls in the troop. The direct financial relationship between the cookies initiative and the GSA hierarchy is obvious: but I see no such relationship when giving money to a local troop. Will such money end up at the head office, and ultimately at Planned Parenthood? It seems unlikely.
In fact, to me there might be a valid argument that getting involved with and supporting your local Girl Scout troop is a good way to protect it from some of the nonsense coming from head office. Of course, if you know that the leadership of your local troop is already taking its cues on social issues from head office, then it might be better not to support that troop, and to support an alternative, unless it looks like there is some hope for change in the troop.
My fear is that in this case the “spotlight fallacy” may be at work: that is, we may be judging the whole organization based upon a few high-profile instances of pro-abortion activism by a small, if powerful, segment of the organization. But just because the GSA leadership is promoting abortion rights at the UN doesn’t mean that your local troop has in any way contributed to that initiative.
Hence, the question seems to come down to just how systemic the rot in GSA is. Is it so widespread that the whole organization is compromised, or is it contained enough that we can work in good conscience with the good sections, ensuring that no anti-life rot enters into them, and perhaps pushing the rot further back?
A 2004 survey conducted by STOPP International gives us some information on this question. That survey found that around 25% of councils who responded to the survey said they were partnering with Planned Parenthood in some way. That’s a considerable number. However, only 65 out of 249 councils responded to the survey, leaving the vast majority of them unaccounted for. And keep in mind that these are councils rather than individual troops, which are even more numerous.
Personally, I would like to see more information before I make up my mind about GSA. I absolutely condemn the anti-life actions that have been performed in GSA’s name by its members, and I condemn any partnership of any kind with Planned Parenthood, but I must ask, is there still some way that we can in good conscience support GSA, or is it beyond hope?
What do you think?
Some links with more info about Girl Scouts’ anti-life activism:
100 Questions for Girl Scouts
As noted in the Girl Scouts and Pro-Abortion WAGGGS section, GSUSA also supports abortion rights through their membership in, substantial funding of, and close relationship with the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS), which aggressively promotes accessible, affordable and safe abortions.
Girl Scouts partner with Planned Parenthood:
On March 5th [2004] Kathy Cloninger, CEO of the Girl Scouts of America, appeared on NBC’s “Today” show to discuss the boycott. … Cloninger explained that Girl Scouts of America addresses the challenges girls face in today’s world, including issues regarding sexuality and body image. She then added, “We partner with many organizations. We have relationships with our church communities, with YWCAs, and with Planned Parenthood organizations across the country, to bring information-based sex education programs to girls.”
Well, there’s always $25 Boy Scout popcorn loaded with artificial fat rendered to taste like butter, and coated with waxy chocolate
yum
The message you typed out needs to be given to the mothers, and not the girls.
The girls are but innocent pawns.
Lay into the mothers though, especially if they resist hearing the message.
I plan to. I plan to tell them, in front of their daughters, that they have an obligation to protect their daughters, and that they aren’t fufilling their duties as a parent because they are allowing their daughters to be part of Girl Scouts.
And I won’t be buying cookies.
The GS should be given a second chance, after they get rid of all the evildoers. In otherwords, not in my lifetime.
Using your logic I can support ANY organization?
That’s the ticket. The left has coopted many of our institutions. Girl Scouts join unions, education media, religious leadership, Wall Street leadership and the judiciary as coopted entities.
We are in a fight for the country folks. This election is important.
Nope.
Supporting the Girl Scouts is supporting the Enemy of America' freedom from within.
Yes. Hijacked by the Feminists and lesbians by the 1980’s to make little promiscuous whores who leave their babies in daycare if they don’t kill them.... and they are taught that homosexuality is good and men are evil and jobs are better than taking care of your offspring-—who end up being controlled and raised by the state.
It is enough reason for EVERYONE to take their kids out of this Marxist organization and NEVEr give to it.
I don’t care as much about admitting girls with nuts as much I care that the national group sucks up 90% of the proceeds. And I care about the boys thing a lot.
“Part of the proceeds go to the GSOA.”
About 80 to 90 percent of it goes to the GSHQ. The rest goes to the locals.
Could you possibly be more obtuse?
My post is clear that my objection is with those corrupting the organization.
My opening comment “This isn’t about the kids!”, clearly establishes that not buying the cookies isn’t meant to hurt the kids.
As for your argument about the federal government, I don't have much recourse in that situation, do I? There is no option on the IRS 1040 to choose not to pay my taxes because I don't like how they spend the money. Short of becoming an expatriate or a criminal, all we can do is petition our government to stop supporting abortion through political channels, and I think most everyone on this website is already doing that.
Corporation donations are a better argument, but I still think you are missing the mark. Firstly, it's not reasonable to assume most citizens even have the time or ability to find out whether every company associated with every product and service that they buy is somehow supporting the abortion industry. However, it's a non sequiter to accuse them of hypocrisy simply because they want to punish organizations that they do become aware of as supporting this activity. We very likely would boycott the companies you cited, and others like them, if such behavior was brought to the attention of the pro-life crowd or the general public.
I joined American Seniors Association instead of AARP.
What I was saying was after expenses the funds go to the HQ first. What they do with it I don’t know. Okay so you’re saying that the remainder goes back to the locals.
with that sort of paltry return on the effort, why rely on that for raising the go-to-camp money?
The girls could do extra work around the house & neighborhood, or (heaven forfend!) even start their own little business to earn money for camp & dues.
And the experience will make good, self-reliant citizens out of them...
I know, because my (now-Eagle Scout) sons did it.
Should we give a second chance to them? The lesbian scout of America should truthfully tell Americans what their agenda is. Then we can say ‘HELL NO!!’
What alternative organizations are comparable to the Girl Scouts?
I won’t stop supporting the Girl Scouts because too many girls get a great deal of pleasure out of belonging.
The Girl Scout organization just put a boy, whose mother feels he’s a girl, in the girl scouts, right? That’s enough for me. It should be enough for all parents. Why would you voluntarially put your girl in a group led by sexually twisted adults?
From what I have read the local GS organizations only get 10 to 20 percent of the money made on cookie sales. The rest goes to GSHQ.
You should do more research on what they do with the money at HQ.
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