Hard Choices

So I have officially eaten my last Girl Scout cookie. No, not because I just tore through a box of Do-Si-Dos like I've been known to do. Not even because I made a New Year's resolution to lose a little weight. No, what I mean is I have eaten my last Girl Scout cookie because I will never buy or eat another Girl Scout cookie ever again!  You may be thinking, "What in the world? That's close to blasphemy!" Let me explain.

At the beginnning of the school year I decided to register my 5 year old daughter for Girl Scouts at the Daisy level. I even volunteered to be a troop co-leader. We were so excited. We had visions of marching in parades, earning patches, campouts, and the like dancing in our heads. And we did those things (minus the campouts) and had a great deal of fun. Sophia loves going to the meetings and spending time with her new friends. That was until I got the shock of my life. I was driving in my car listening to ImmaculateHeart radio (Check them out here!) when I heard a mother speaking about her experiences with Girl Scouts. She and her family had been involved with the organization for 4 generations. She became concerned when she heard that the Girl Scouts had connections to Planned Parenthood and other questionable groups.  Needless to say, I was completely dumbfounded. I just couldn't believe it could be true so I decided to do a little research myself.  I sat staring at the computer screen, nearly in tears, letting the information I read digest. What I found, after visiting multiple sites, looking at screen shots of pages from the "Journeys" series, screen shots of the Girl Scouts own webpage, etc. was that there is absolutely a connection between the Girl Scouts of America and Planned Parenthood and the Sierra Club. I also discovered that by registering for Girl Scouts and paying our dues, both my daughter and I contributed to the World Association of Girl Guides (WAGGS), a pro-abortion organization. I saw connections between the Girl Scouts and Amnesty International, a group that has openly mocked the Catholic church.  I was appalled to see that women like Margaret Sanger, Dolores Huerta, Billie Jean King, and Gloria Steinhem were held up as "Women of Inspiration".  Imagine my horror when I saw a link to Jezebel.com - a page recommended on the Girl Scouts webpage, where girls can read a blog entitled "OMFG There's a New Girl Scout Cookie" and even have fun completing "abortion mad-libs". Sadly, the list goes on.
Click here to begin your own research and find more information here.

After I was able to catch my breath, I had a discussion with my husband. I knew what he was going to say and I knew what we had to do. The only question I had was, how are we going to break this to Sophia? We decided to keep our explanation as benign as possible. We didn't want to explain what Planned Parenthood does or what an abortion is to our 5-year-old. We simply told her that the Girl Scouts organization is not compatible with our Catholic values. We explained that the organization has connections with groups that are working to tear down our beliefs and we cannot be a part of it any longer. We are so proud of how she responded. While she was sad that she would no longer get to see the other girls at the meetings, she understood the importance of standing up for what is right. She is a very faithful little girl and she said she wants to stand with Jesus, even if that means giving up her Girl Scout meetings.  What a lesson we can take from her.

So what did I learn from this experience? Most importantly I learned to always research a group thoroughly before we attach ourselves to it. I never again want to have to apologize to my daughter for aligning our family with a group that is so fundamentally opposed to our values. I also learned that even organizations like the Girl Scouts, a seemingly wholesome, faith-based group can be penetrated by ugly, sinister and indeed evil groups. 

So from now on I'll have to walk right by those sweet little faces selling cookies outside the grocery stores.  Will it be hard to pass up those tasty cookies? Not anymore.