INDIANAPOLIS – A Fort Wayne lawmaker has refused to sign on to a resolution celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Girl Scouts, calling the group a "radicalized organization" that supports abortion and promotes the "homosexual lifestyle."
Rep. Bob Morris, R-Fort Wayne, sent a letter to his fellow House Republicans on Saturday explaining why he would be the only member in the House not to endorse the nonbinding resolution.
He said he did some web-based research and found allegations that the Girl Scouts are a tactical arm of Planned Parenthood, allows transgender females to join and encourages sex.
Morris also said the fact that First Lady Michelle Obama is honorary president "should give each of us reason to pause before our individual and collective endorsement of the organization."
"I challenge each of you to examine these matters more closely before you extend your name and your reputation to endorse a group that has been subverted in the name of liberal progressive politics and the destruction of traditional American family values."
Morris said his two daughters have had a great experience in the scouts because their individual troop leaders have shared the same values.
But he said that is not the same around the United States and he has decided to put his girls in a group that is actively pro-life.
Morris said several House members will be taking their names off the resolution, which thanked the group for the "strong positive influence it has had on the American woman."
Ashley Sharp, assistant director of marketing for the Girl Scouts of Northern Indiana-Michiana, said the group heard many of the concerns Morris brought up, noting there are websites dedicated to "exposing" the organization.
The group has posted a notice on its website about what the Girl Scouts stand for.
"It really hasn't affected us," Sharp said. "Our membership is still strong and our cookie sales are up from last year."
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Verbatim
- To read the text of the letter, verbatim, check out The Scoop: http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120220/BLOGS01/120229962/-1/blogs
- Girl Scouts of Northern Indiana-Michiana: What we stand for