Bitter Pill (Abby Johnson)

Posted by Abby Johnson on May 27, 2011 in Blog 

SOURCE: http://www.abbyjohnson.org/2011/05/bitter-pill/

see also: Timeline History- GSA w/ PPI

I want better for my daughter.  I don’t want my daughter to get sucked into the world of Planned Parenthood…to the world of the “women’s reproductive movement”…the idea that abortion is acceptable.  I want her to know that abortion is evil.  I want her to know with 100% certainty that Planned Parenthood is intrinsically evil…no matter what “good” they are doing.  Not only do I want her to KNOW it, I want her to DEFEND it.  I am raising a pro-life apologist…something I was not.  I do not want to raise a statistic.  I want to raise a strong, independent, young woman who is proud to identify as a feminist and pro-life.

If I want that for my child, should I start teaching her about the benefits of “reproductive choice” while she is still in grade school?  Should I have her go to camps that are partnered with and sponsored by Planned Parenthood?  Should I allow her to spend her allowance money on items and treasures that will go toward Planned Parenthood?  Of course not, right?  That simply wouldn’t make sense.  That would go against everything I just said in my first paragraph, right?  Well, guess what, my friends?  If your beautiful girls are in the Girls Scouts of America (GSA), you are doing just that.  Don’t believe me? 

Just listen.
Nobody loves brochures more than Planned Parenthood.  I mean, they have a brochure for everything!  You can go out and save the world if you will just take a few dozen of their beautifully branded brochures…of course, you can’t find any information on adoption, prenatal care or fetal development…but I digress. 

I will never forget the first time I saw a GSA logo on the back of one of our brochures.  We had just gotten a new shipment of life-changing (blah) brochures in the mail.  I flipped them over and there it was…Girl Scouts of America.  Surely this was a brochure about being sexually abstinent, right?  Or about keeping yourself safe from violence.  Nope.  It was about “how to know you are ready for sex.”  Really?  Girl Scouts?  Do Girl Scouts have sex?  That was my immediate thought.  They are supposed to be selling cookies…not having sex.  Wow.  So this is where that cookie money goes.  I didn’t think much about it at the time.  I was, of course, glad to see the collaboration.  NOW, it makes me sick.

When I left Planned Parenthood, I started to really look into this more carefully.  Did the connection do even deeper?  I couldn’t believe what I found.  I saw a video clip on a morning show of the President of GSA stating that they had a “longstanding relationship with Planned Parenthood.”  Really?  Gosh, why weren’t we talking about it???  Then, I found out that some of us were. 

I started meeting different people who were very passionate about this issue.  Many of them had been leaders.  Some of them had pulled their girls out of GSA.  They had seen, first hand, the corruption inside of GSA.  They had seen the partnership between Planned Parenthood and GSA.  So, I had to ask…why wasn’t this a bigger deal?  It turns out that they were getting a lot of pushback.  But they were only speaking the truth!  Who doesn’t want to hear the truth??  Hmmm.  You know who their biggest opposition is?  Churches!

I would like to say that I am surprised, but honestly, I’m not.  Apathy runs rampant in our churches.  It seems to hurt a little more when the church is complicit with the mission of Planned Parenthood and their mission.  How is it that when a member(s) of a church bring evidence to their clergy that a group their church supports is supporting Planned Parenthood, that clergy member refuses to pull support and actually continues to support the program without hesitation?? 
So, we aren’t pro-life?
So, our church does support Planned Parenthood? 
So, our church does support the abortion agenda? 
So, our church doesn’t believe in teaching our children to respect their bodies and remain abstinent until marriage? 

Because if our churches support Girl Scouts in ANY way, that is EXACTLY what we are saying.

Some may say “well, we have a really great Girl Scout group here and it is run by wonderful Christian women and none of that funny business happens with our girls.”  Okay.  Go here with me for a minute…

There is a Planned Parenthood clinic in Nowhere, Texas.  They don’t perform any sort of abortion services.  They only provide annual exams, testing, birth control, and counseling.  Oh, and the women there are just the sweetest!  In fact, one of them goes to a church you know right down the street.  In fact, she and your friend are in the same Bible study class.  Your friend just says she is fantastic.  And you know, it’s really okay she works at Planned Parenthood because they don’t actually DO the abortions at her location.  They are just helping women at her center.  Actually, the worker there…she doesn’t even really care for abortion.  I mean, really, as long as she isn’t doing abortions and that center doesn’t do abortions, Planned Parenthood is really an asset to the community!  Now that you think about it, ANY Planned Parenthood that doesn’t provide abortions is really okay.  We should just work to shut down the ones that actually DO the abortion procedures.  Yeah, that’s a better idea.

So, that’s what we think, right?  NO, NO, NO!!!  We don’t think that!  We don’t just want some Planned Parenthood centers to close down…we want them ALL to go!  Why?  Because the organization as a whole promotes abortion. 

It’s the same thing with GSA.  GSA, as a whole, promotes Planned Parenthood.

Is it a hard pill to swallow?  Yes.  Does it taste bad as it goes down?  Yep.  No one loves thin mints more than me.  But there are no more cookies in this house.  My daughter will not be a part of GSA.  I will not support any curriculum that supports GSA.

Guys, these are our children!!  Our kids…who are young, and impressionable, and vulnerable.  Why take the chance?  Be courageous.  Take a stand.  Be a leader for your children.  Be a leader in your church.  Stand up for our girls.  Stand up for their true rights…for their true self-worth.  Be a true role model.  Show your children what it means to do the RIGHT thing.

Is it easy to go against the main stream?  Nope.  It is usually not easy to do the right thing.  But doing the right thing is the God thing.  I will pick the God thing over the easy thing any day.

You know what else?  There is an alternative (there are many actually) to GSA.  There is an amazing group called American Heritage Girls.  They are an actual scouting group and they stand up for Christian principles and doing the right thing.  How refreshing!  For more information about getting your young one signed up or starting your own chapter, go to www.ahgonline.org.

I also want you to know that I am not simply giving out my opinion here.  GSA is linked to Planned Parenthood.  There are many groups that are now dedicating their lives to spreading this information. 

One of the best links out there with ONLY facts is www.girlscoutswhynot.com. One of the women that run this site was a GSA leader for many years.  After learning the truth about the GSA/PP connection, she resigned and pulled her daughter out of the group.  She and her family now dedicate their lives to getting the truth out about this terrible link.  Has it been easy?  No.  But she says after she left, it was one of the most “freeing feelings” she has ever felt…just doing the right thing.  They have so much awesome information on their site.  You really need to spend some time checking it all out; reading all of the information they have posted; clicking on all of the links.  You will not be sorry.

If you care about our next generation, then spread this message.  Send out the website, www.girlscoutswhynot.com. 
We say we want better for our kids and our grandkids…now is your turn to make a difference.

Related posts:

1. I don’t practice Santaria
2. “No Easy Decision”…bad decision for PP.
3. Sex, Lies and Videotape…Uh, Oh!!!
4. We are Centurions
5. My empty uterus…

1. Bert Farwell says:

   May 29, 2011 at 6:21 pm

   Hear that infant crying in fear and pain? You’ve thrown the baby out with the bath water. You have to teach kids (boys and girls)to be responsible and safe. You can’t assume that they will always make the choice of abstinance. Ten years old isn’t too soon. I’m 76. When I was 12 or 13, I knew a 10 year old girl who was pregnant. I knew many other pregnant girls during my teen years. There were lots of homes and adoption services for pregnant teens back then, but no services that tought them responsibility and helped them with the tools to stay safe if (realistically, for most teens, when) they made unwise choices regarding sex before marriage.
2. Abby Johnson says:

   May 28, 2011 at 10:53 pm

   I am glad this was brought up. I do NOT believe staying in an organization to “fight from within” is the appropriate response. I have clinic workers contact me weekly who want to leave the abortion industry. Should I tell them to stick it out and just try to save as many babies as they can from within? I mean, surely it’s fine to participate in the sin as long as you trying to fight against it, right? I do not believe that to be true. I believe the best way to fight this is by getting OUT of the organization, starting alternative organizations, spreading the word on every public forum you are a part of, spreading the word to all of your friends and family, get the info out to your local media, and inform your CHURCH!!! There needs to be an exodus from GSA. It needs to start from within the church.
3. Sheila says:

   May 28, 2011 at 11:29 am

   I was a leader in GS until last year when all the controversy began with the UN conference. I then looked into this issue, and could not continue in good conscience endorsing the GS organization anymore. Before I left, I tried getting answers from my Service Unit coordinator and even contacted the national office and they towed the party line. The national office said they would be releasing a statement, so I waited to find out what they would say. The statement said more by what it didn’t say than what was printed. There was no mention in the letter that they did not have partnerships with PP or anything that settled my concerns-if anything it made my concerns worse because if they couldn’t answer the questions straight, what did they have to hide?
   Along with a couple of other concerned moms, started and American Heritage Girls troop this year at our church, and were hoping we would get 15 girls to start with. We had 45 girls register, and we have had an amazing year! I feel so blessed to be able to share my love of scouting and my faith with these girls!
   Thank you for mentioning AHG and I hope others will be drawn to look into the difference in these organizations.
4. Brooke says:

   May 28, 2011 at 11:04 am

   Wonderful article! I’m so happy that you are working on getting this info out to others. My daughter has been in American Heritage Girls for 2 years now, and I am an assistant for the 4th and 5th grade girls, the Explorers. AHG is now in partnership with BSA, and it is a wonderful thing to have both of our groups on the same page. I encourage everyone, intending to join or not, to check out ahgonline.org. This is a wonderful organization that is 16 years going and currently in 48 states. We need to stand up and protect our children!
5. Susan Riedley says:

   May 28, 2011 at 9:50 am

   For Caryl and other Girl Scouts who want to fight: A timeline history of the Girl Scout-Planned Parenthood connection can be found on the HonestGirlScouts.com website. There is also a game plan for keeping a troop while not being an asset to their pro-abortion agenda in the Just One Box page in “Take Action.” My troop “went retro” last year did not sell more than Just One Box of cookies, we used hand-me-down books, we learned how to sew our uniforms, embroidered our troop number patches and bought our fun patches from an outside source. We had a bake sale and two garage sales and pulled in more money than we ever did selling those expensive GS cookies (by the way, if you love Thin Mints and Samoas, Keebler cookies sell Grasshoppers and a Samoa clone in grocery stores). We cost our Council more than we ever paid in. By being a Girl Scout member and spreading the truth about GSUSA, we are fighting from within. If we really want to make a stand, next cookie season, we should have our Girl Scouts in full uniform boycotting sales. That would make the news, wouldn’t it?
6. Amanda says:

   May 28, 2011 at 7:20 am

   So sad that we are allowing PP to target our children through organizations like GSA…they are ruthless in their endeavors to find and create future customers! Is there no shame?
7. Evelyn says:

   May 28, 2011 at 12:03 am

   I have my daughter in AHG. And I was so happy to see your mention of them! I lead the Pathfinder (the youngest) group and I love being involved with such a morally straight and God fearing group! My brothers have been involved in BSA for years. They are part of a strong Christian group and have never had the same issue that the GSA seem to have.
   If any of you are looking for a great way to do scouting for your girls, check out the website Abby mentioned!
8. Caryl says:

   May 27, 2011 at 9:06 pm

   I can understand getting out/severing ties with GS. I understand that there is an alternative to GS. But what about working to get PP out of GS? Are there groups working towards this? Is that concept somehow a lost cause, even with all the recent heat against PP? I am a GS leader and active in my local service unit, going on four years now. The first time I ever heard of this connection was about a year ago (United Nations Commission on the Status of Women and the “Healthy Happy Hot” brocure) The issue sort of went away, and is now arising again…giving me serious pause, causing me to pray for discernment. Cherry Beiber said she pulled her daughter out of GS 26 years ago…has there been a tie between GS and PP for that long? And, finally, are there still brochures being printed and displayed by PP that have the GS logo on them? I’m sorry to be so naive and ask so many questions, but I feel very convicted about this issue, and noone in my service unit, council or community discusses this issue at all.
9. Abby Johnson says:

   May 27, 2011 at 8:14 pm

   No. Boy Scouts is definitely a safe organization for our kids to join.
10. Cherry Bieber says:

    May 27, 2011 at 7:56 pm

    Thank you, Abby!!! I pulled my precious little girls out of Girl Scouts 26 years ago…after just two weeks of involvement. Although I was not aware of Planned Parenthood’s involvement at that time, I had reviewed the materials given to us and had a very strong check in my spirit. After attending one meeting in particular, it was clear to me that this was NOT a family friendly organization and I realized right then and there that I needed to pull my girls out. Sadly, there are a multitude of such organizations locally and nationally, but parents are too “otherwise engaged” to notice exactly what is being taught.
    Thank you, again, for this thorough article, which I will certainly be linking to on my blog!
    God Bless your endeavors!
11. katrina says:

    May 27, 2011 at 7:40 pm

    very interesting… i was just about to sign my 6 yr old daughter up next fall. now, i have to figure out a nice way to break it to her. thanks for the enlightenment on this. just curious — are the boy scouts of america in any way affiliated with PP, too?
12. Megan Jeffery says:

    May 27, 2011 at 7:38 pm

    Hi Abbey,
    I pulled my daughter from GSA for this very reason. It was sad. I was a Girl Scout until I was 14, I loved it. My oldest daughter was in for 9 years. We did have lovely women running it. But then a funny thing happened. Our local council, in conjunction with Planned Parenthood, planned a spa day for the girls. My daughter was 8. EIGHT! The day was a day a beauty and education on many topics, and the lovely brochure had some sketchy sounding titles to the sessions. I don’t remember what they were exactly, but upon investigation, one of them was about exploring their sexuality. There were others that seemed questionable to me, but I didn’t stick around to find out more. I pulled my daughter out. We’ve never participated in Girl Scout since. It does sadden me, because all the actual SCOUTING was wonderful. Thanks for publicizing this – it needs to be said and heard.
    P.S – I read your book – I couldn’t put it down. None of it surprised me, other than your rapid conversion, but that’s how the Holy Spirit works sometimes. Welcome home!God bless you for the work you are doing.
13. Stephanie says:

    May 27, 2011 at 6:40 pm

    Thanks for “making it plain”! I’ve known a good bit of what you said for quite some time, but some of it was new to me. NO MORE Girl Scout cookies in MY house! (At least not as long as they continue to partner with PP, which I sadly think will continue for quite some time, unless Christians are bold enough & courageous enough (YES, I said COURAGEOUS) to Stand for What IS Right!
    I should add that this is the second “bitter” decision this week for me. Earlier this week information became public about a company that does business with Pepsi & I was APPALLED! I am a HUGE fan of Mtn. Dew! HOWEVER, I quit Cold Turkey as soon as I found out! (Hey, doing without Mtn. Dew never killed anyone & it will certainly help my weight loss, but that is not the MAIN reasons.)
    Thanks again for sharing the hard truth!
14. Christy says:

    May 27, 2011 at 6:04 pm

    Thank you Abby! Parents deserve to know the truth … GSUSA is not eager to admit their relationship with Planned Parenthood but it is undeniable. God bless you for shining a light on this darkness!

See also:
http://wissup.blogspot.com/2010_03_01_archive.html   ~~>  Planned Parenthood does the DO-SI-DO with GIRL SCOUTS
http://prolifenotebook.blogspot.com/2011/05/timeline-history-with-planned.html