Each spring, we await those little green boxes of chocolate
delight. But some families, in the small town of Crawford,
Texas, home to George Bush when he is in Texas, are
boycotting Girl Scout’s Thin Mints because of
a rumored “cozy relationship” between the
troops and Planned Parenthood. Parents in the conservative
Texas town were outraged when they learned that the
Girl Scouts had awarded a Woman of Distinction Award
to a Planned Parenthood executive.
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The troop also was accused of endorsing sex education
classes that talked about homosexuality and masturbation.
Outraged parents claim that the classes border on “pornographic”
and conflict with the wholesome message on which the
Girl Scouts were founded. Some parents believe the classes
encourage masturbation, and justify and promote homosexuality
and abortion.
Some residents of the town have boycotted sales of
Thin Mint cookies, and membership of Troop 7527 is down
to just two members, after most parents withdrew their
daughters. The relationship between the two organizations
occurred when the Girl Scouts started putting their
logo on informational material for Planned Parenthood.
A spokesperson for the Girl Scouts says they have not
contributed financially to the organization and do not
require their members to attend the sex education classes.
An anti-abortion organization investigating the relationship
found that 26 percent of Girl Scout troops have ties
to the health care provider.
The Girl Scouts is a national organization, which is
based in New York and has 2.9 million girl members and
986,000 adult members. They take no position on sex
education or abortion and have no inappropriate relationship
with Planned Parenthood, according to the Bluebonnet
Council. But the negative publicity and decreased membership
has urged the Bluebonnet Council, which oversees troops
in the Waco area and 13 other counties, to sever any
affiliation with Planned Parenthood.
Despite the visible protest of a conservative few,
sales of the Girl Scout treats skyrocketed, as many
people bought the cookies just to show their support.
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