The Girl Scouts have apologized for seeming to endorse abortion advocate Wendy Davis in a tweet late last month, but the organizers and supporters of a planned boycott of Girl Scout Cookies are not impressed by the statement from the girls’ youth organization.
The endorsement has caused a firestorm of protest among Girl Scouts, their moms, and the public at large. The controversy comes at precisely the wrong time for the Girl Scouts, right in the middle of the cookie-selling season that nets the Girl Scouts somewhere around $700 million.
After the Wendy Davis endorsement, the Girl Scout Twitter feed was filled with tweets from others almost unanimous in condemnation.
@girlscouts Sorry GSA when you partnered w Planned Parenthood you alienated half of us. No cookies, donations, interest from me cc @GOPMommy
— Miao (@TPGee) January 4, 2014
@pambesteder @girlscouts Didn’t know this. Giving up my Do-si-dos this year I guess.
— Jill Bass (@JillBass4) January 5, 2014
@girlscouts @HuffPostWomen as a troop leader, I’m disgusted you would hint at suggesting an abortion activist.
— amy maurer (@maureramy) January 3, 2014
The Girl Scouts tried to assuage the anger by distancing themselves from the original message, tweeting:
@Cozmacozmy We shared the list, we didn’t choose or endorse it.
— Girl Scouts (@girlscouts) January 6, 2014
That did not end the growing problem. Yesterday, Breitbart News reported that a national cookie boycott will be announced Thursday in Waco, Texas run by the group Pro-Life Waco but also joined by a number of national pro-life leaders.
The first cookie boycott run by John Pisciotta, executive director of Pro-Life Waco, had a tremendous effect on the Girl Scouts, even driving then Girl Scout CEO onto national television to defend the Girl Scouts against the charges they are too cozy with abortion advocates.
On Wednesday, the Girl Scouts issued the following apology:
December of 2013, Girl Scouts of the USA shared an auto-populated tweet, asking our social media audience to share their opinions about who should have been recognized in a discussion about 2013’s noteworthy women. While our intentions were good, many of our followers and the public at large raised concerns about the content they were driven to via our social channels. We listened, and would like to take a moment to sincerely apologize to anyone we have offended. We are truly sorry.
To be clear, Girl Scouts has not endorsed any person or organization. As our methods of communication evolve with technology, the mission of Girl Scouts remains the same: to continue building girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.
It is unlikely the apology will end the cookie boycott. After all, the Wendy Davis endorsement was simply the last straw; the Girl Scouts have a well-documented history promoting what many consider to be extreme feminism including abortion.
Christy Volanski, former Girl Scout mom and perhaps the leader of the Girl Scout reform movement, told Breitbart News, “As a former Girl Scout leader and supporter, Girl Scouts’ empty apology does not impress me. Girl Scouts tweet promoting Sen. Davis for her abortion rights advocacy is just one of a multitude of examples of the Girl Scouts featuring pro-abortion women and organizations to girl members.”
“And if the Girl Scout organization is ‘truly sorry,’ why is the offending tweet, referring girls to a HuffPo video praising Sen. Davis and abortion rights, still up on GSUSA’s twitter page?” she asked.
Ann Saladin, who created the website MyGirlScoutCouncil.org, told Breitbart News she wasn’t buying the apology either: “Another example of empty words. Tweet is still posted. Weeks have gone by with defense by GSUSA. Still word games: autopopulated is false claim! (And not the point.). Not truly sorry for their decision, sorry some have been offended, misinterpreted the purpose of the tweet.
“An apology now, 6 weeks later…..just days before ‘National Girl Scout Cookie Day’? Hmmm, wonder if what they’re sorry about is the drop in cookie sales,” she noted. “Still good on Sebelius as a 2013 woman with ‘courage, confidence, and character.’ So I guess they only backtrack on the offenses that get widely picked up. Sick.”
John Pisciotta, who is running the boycott, told Breitbart News the boycott is still on. “Girl Scouts USA apologizes only when they are damaged by what they say and do. However, on their own accord, they just do not think first about their praise for leaders and organizations that support abortion.”
“For Pro-Life Waco’s 2004 cookie boycott, local Girl Scout leaders initially claimed that their alliance with Planned Parenthood Waco was just fine with Girl Scout moms and dads,” he explained. “Then with public and parent outcry, the local council severed all ties with Planned Parenthood. It is totally clear that for Girl Scouts USA and many councils, their thinking is not anywhere near respect for the pre-born lives of future Girl Scouts.”
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