Morris said the Girl Scouts 'promote homosexual lifestyles.' Ind. pol stands by Girl Scouts slam

The Indiana state lawmaker who declared the Girl Scouts a “radicalized organization” that encourages homosexuality and abortions is sticking by his comments amid an uproar, according to a report.

State Rep. Bob Morris refused to sign a resolution honoring the 100th anniversary of the Girl Scouts this week, writing in a letter that after doing some research on the Internet he found that the Girl Scouts is “quickly becoming a tactical arm of Planned Parenthood.”


Morris, a Republican, also wrote in his letter that the Girl Scouts “promote homosexual lifestyles” and has been “subverted in the name of liberal progressive politics and the destruction of traditional American family values.”

He told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he stands by his comments and noted that his daughters were leaving the Girl Scouts for an alternative group run by pro-life, conservative Christians.

“My family and I took a view and we’re sticking by it,” Morris told the AP. “My girls are no longer Girl Scouts. They’re now going to join American Heritage Girls.”

Morris also wrote in his letter to fellow lawmakers that because first lady Michelle Obama is the Girl Scouts’ honorary president it “should give each of us reason to pause before our individual and collective endorsement of the organization.” He was the only member of the state House not to endorse the resolution.

The Girl Scouts and Planned Parenthood have flatly denied Morris’s claims. The Girl Scouts said in a statement that Morris is “off the mark on his claims.”

“If the freshman representative wishes to discredit the contributions that hundreds of thousands of Indiana women and girls have made through the Girl Scouts program over the last 100 years, then he’s entitled to his opinion,” the Girl Scouts said in a statement. “Not only is Rep. Morris off the mark on his claims, it’s also unfortunate in his limited research that he failed to discover that since 1917, every First Lady has served as the honorary leader of Girl Scouts including Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush and Laura Bush.”

“We believe that leadership is about hearing from all sides of an issue before making up one’s mind. We only wish we had the chance to speak with Representative Morris before he distributed his letter,” the statement said.

And the Girl Scouts of Northern Indiana-Michiana also has said it has absolutely no relationship with Planned Parenthood and “neither organization has plans for any relationship in the future.”

Meanwhile, Planned Parenthood of Indiana said in a statement the allegations were “woefully inaccurate.”

“On the national level, inflammatory and generally inaccurate claims about a partnership between the Girl Scouts and Planned Parenthood have been promoted primarily by anti-choice lawmakers seeking to place pressure on organizations to disassociate or distance themselves from Planned Parenthood. As part of their campaign against the Girl Scouts, these groups are also attacking the Girl Scouts’ policies on sexual orientation and gender identity,” Planned Parenthood of Indiana President and CEO Betty Cockrum said in a statement.

“Planned Parenthood currently has no formal partnership with the Girl Scouts, but supports their mission and recognizes their century of contributions to our society,” she added.

Indiana Republican House Speaker Brian Bosma mocked Morris’s comments on Tuesday and spent much of the day passing out Thin Mints to other members, the AP reported.

“I purchased 278 cases of Girl Scout cookies in the last four hours,” he said.