Families Boycott Thin Mints Over Girl Scouts' Ties With Planned Parenthood

By Eryn Sun, Christian Post Reporter Wednesday, February 01, 2012

The president of a pro-family organization is asking the public to boycott Girl Scout cookies because of the group's ties with Planned Parenthood.

Austin Ruse, the president of Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute, told The Christian Post, "The Girl Scouts partner locally, nationally and internationally with Planned Parenthood, the largest abortionist in the world. They should stop this and the only way to stop them is by hitting them in the pocketbook."

The Girl Scouts have been frequently linked over the past few years with the pro-choice organization, allegedly endorsing abortion and the use of contraceptives to their young members through conventions and website links from their sites.

Late in 2011, the organization faced further scrutiny after the Colorado Girl Scouts decided to allow a 7-year-old boy to join their group after initially rejecting his application – a decision that angered many in the public and drew more fire for the organization's questionable practices.

Additionally in January, one of its council leaders in Southern Arizona asked an employee to change out of her pro-life t-shirt while she was in the office during off-duty hours, providing more fuel to the theory that the Girl Scouts were pro-choice, not pro-life.

Troubled parents and teens have united to stand against what was once thought to be a reputable family organization, promoting other alternatives like American Heritage Girls and Little Flowers Girls Club and rejecting the purchase of the group's beloved cookies.

Ruse, who has two daughters of his own, believes that saying "no" to Girl Scout cookies will raise awareness among the public that Girl Scouts partners with Planned Parenthood and give the Girl Scouts "pause" in their relationship with the group.

"It's not anyone's goal to put the Girl Scouts out of business," he explained to CP. "Rather it is for the Girl Scouts to correct their actions."

While some parents who share the same concerns as Ruse will seek to pull their children out from the Girl Scouts, others, Ruse noted, might stay in the organization to "work from within for the desired change."

"Both are perfectly acceptable alternatives to fix the problem of the Girl Scouts partnering with Planned Parenthood."

Ruse's wife, Cathy, recently wrote an article in the Washington Times also asking the public to "forgo the Thin Mints this year because of the far-left sociopolitical agenda pushed by Girl Scouts HQ."

She highlighted several situations where the Girl Scouts pushed their "pro-choice" agenda, stating that more than 16 Girl Scout councils admitted to partnering with Planned Parenthood, despite the organization's purported "neutral" stance on abortion or birth control.

Columnist Robert McCartney recently responded to the boycotts taking place throughout the nation, asking Americans not to "fall for smears against the Girl Scouts," whom he believed to be a "patriotic, faith-affirming, achievement-oriented group."

"It's ill-informed nonsense," McCartney penned regarding all of the opinions by religious conservatives who saw "something very different" in the Girl Scouts.

"Conservative activists have used social media to encourage parents to boycott cookie sales, pull their daughters out of scouts and push churches not to provide meeting spaces for troops."

Stressing that the Girl Scouts have repeatedly told the public that they had no position on abortion and no relationship with Planned Parenthood, despite what the critics said, McCartney urged, "Let's all cast a vote for girls with backpacks and against disinformation. When the neighborhood girls ring your doorbell, order an extra couple of boxes."

He also pointed out that according to Lidia Soto-Harmon, the chief executive of the Washington area council, initial orders of Girl Scout cookies were actually up more than 6 percent considering the boycotts.

Nonetheless, Rue and his wife are continuing to spread awareness through their efforts to quell Girl Scout cookie sales.

"It's a sacrifice, because I love the cookies and the cuties who sell them, but enough is enough," Cathy wrote.