Problematic

Rumors of a Girl Scout Cookie recall have been flooding the internet this past month, undoubtedly fueled by social media sites like Tik Tok featuring tens of millions of posts suggesting Thin Mints and Samoas are toxic.

It seems the controversy was triggered when the results of a study examining 25 cookies revealed trace levels of glyphosate and heavy metals.

As the story escalated, Girl Scout officials released a statement declaring their cookies “safe to consume” and assuring the public their “bakers have confirmed that the levels reported do not pose a food safety concern to our customers.” They explained how trace amounts of both metals and glyphosate in soil where some of the cookie ingredients come from can result in trace amounts in the product itself.

An elevated interest in what’s inside the cookies is understandable, especially as more and more parents examine what their children are eating. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has pledged to root out unhealthy, unnecessary and downright dangerous ingredients in food.

Girl Scouts seem everywhere this time of year, whether walking and ringing doorbells in the neighborhood or standing outside the local supermarket. Buying their cookies might be a longstanding tradition for many.  For others, passing them up may be an increasingly common habit as the organization at-large has tilted to the ideological left over the years.

As such, claims of toxic cookies, whether exaggerated or not, may not be mother’s and father’s greatest concern when it comes to the Girl Scouts. Instead, it’s the ideological shift of a once highly respected organization.

In fact, as charges that the Girl Scouts have “gone woke” over the years have escalated, many parents have recalled the organization itself, deeming the group irreparably toxic and unfit for their daughter’s consumption.

This is why American Heritage Girls (AHG) has risen in popularity. It’s a wonderful Christian alternative, a ministry that helps to build young women’s faith in Jesus Christ. Founded by Patti Garibay in 1995, AHG is unapologetically Christ-centered, and was created after the GSUSA no longer required girls to make a pledge to God.

To be sure, unease with the Girl Scouts predates their 1993 vote omitting “God” from their pledge. It was back in the 1970s when progressive sex-ed programs became part of some troops’ culture. More recently, the organization has embraced the need to root out supposed systemic racism. In 2020, the organization tweeted congratulations to then Judge Amy Coney Barrett for becoming the fifth woman appointed to the Supreme Court. But within hours, the tweet was gone.

In recent years, the Girl Scouts have worked overtime to stop the proverbial bleeding of members and reputation by playing down their progressivism. But if you go to their website, you’ll find some questions and answers that communicate a whole lot by what they do and don’t say.

Here are some examples:

Q: What is Girl Scouts of the USA’s position regarding human sexuality, birth control and abortion?

A:  Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) does not take a position or develop materials on these issues. We feel our role is to help girls develop self-confidence and good decision-making skills that will help them make wise choices in all areas of their lives.

Translation: We don’t want to weigh in on fundamental matters of morality such as human sexuality and matters of life and death. We refuse to denounce the abortion genocide that is claiming millions of innocent lives – half of which are potential future Girl Scouts.

Q: How does Girl Scouts’ position on serving transgender youth apply to situations involving camping or volunteers?

A: These situations are rare and are considered individually with the best interests of all families in mind. Should any girl requiring special accommodations wish to camp, GSUSA recommends that the local council makes similar accommodation that schools across the country follow in regard to changing, sleeping arrangements, and other travel-related activities. With respect to volunteers, Girl Scouts welcomes both male and female adult volunteers and has developed appropriate safeguards regarding roles and responsibilities to ensure that girls receive the proper supervision and support.

Translation: We’re going to be very vague here, but also potentially defer to radical leftists in the public schools.

Q: What is Girl Scouts’ position on serving transgender youth?

A: Girl Scouts is proud to be the premiere leadership organization for girls in the country. Placement of transgender youth is handled on a case-by-case basis, with the welfare and best interests of the child and the members of the troop/group in question a top priority. That said, if the child is recognized by the family and school/community as a girl and lives culturally as a girl, then Girl Scouts is an organization that can serve her in a setting that is both emotionally and physically safe.

Translation: We promise to support and enable the lie that boys who claim to be girls are girls. We’re more interested in avoiding claims of so-called “transphobia” then we are with protecting the safety of girls.

Juliette Gordon Low, founder of the Girl Scouts, once observed that “Leadership is not about being in charge, but about taking care of those in your charge.” Tragically, many parents have fled the organization over the years over concerns that’s not been happening.

Like it or not, that’s how the (Girl Scout) cookie has crumbled.

Image from Shutterstock .

Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has pledged to eliminate America’s chronic disease epidemic.

It’s a lofty goal and an outcome that can’t come soon enough.

According to data from the National Survey of Children’s Health, upwards of 40% of youth are suffering from one or more persistent issues ranging from obesity to diabetes to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, to name just a few of the many conditions besetting young people.

Adults are faring even worse with six in ten navigating a chronic condition.

Secretary Kennedy has drawn a passionate following because he’s dared to challenge the status quo, especially a culture where medicine is often seen as the answer rather than making it a mission to root out main cause of the problem itself.

In fact, upwards of 43% of children and 66% of adults in the United States are on some form of medication. Not all drugs are equal, of course, and some are lifesaving and an absolute necessity. But many medications are masking larger problems.

Treating the root cause rather than the symptom of a condition is an age-old approach, of course. But with the advent of modern medicine, including the explosion of “Big Pharma” and promises to easily eradicate (albeit temporarily) discomfort by merely popping a pill, drugs are increasingly seen as a solution. 

For example, for some, the use of controversial weight-loss medication is now replacing the tried-and-true methods of shedding unwanted pounds. But beware. It was Hippocrates, the Greek physician and philosopher, who was said to have advised, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” 

In the first chapter of Genesis, we read God’s own words: “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food” (Gen. 1:29). 

There are no guarantees in life, but it’s a wise person who pays close attention to their diet, eating what God makes rather than what factories process and manufacture.

Rising rates of infertility is another example of a problem now being aggressively treated with not only medication but even unethical procedures that violate the sanctity of life itself. Often treated with In vitro fertilization, a multi-billion-dollar industry has emerged where embryos are created and then often destroyed after being deemed inferior and unlikely to survive a pregnancy.

Some doctors who perform IVF never really aim to get to the cause of the infertility. Instead, they’re looking for ways around it.

For years, Focus on the Family has provided advice and perspective on ways to minimize the ethical concerns of IVF. With upwards of 16% of women struggling to conceive, though, Christian couples should be aware of other ways to address the heartbreaking condition.

Known as “restorative reproductive medicine,” this approach aims to address the underlying causes of a woman’s inability to get pregnant, which can be many. For example, it might be related to hormones, thyroid, endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, or countless other issues.

The best news about this approach is that it’s holistic and focuses on the overall health of the woman. It’s ethical and doesn’t look to cut corners and violate any moral laws. It recognizes that the end doesn’t justify the means. 

Couples who are interested in this integrated approach can search in their area under “restorative reproductive medicine.”

Time will tell how successful Secretary Kennedy will be in helping America’s healthcare professionals and their patients shift their focus from pills to the root cause of the problem. To be fair, many doctors have been advocating for this approach for years, only to be rebuffed by those eager for a seemingly quick and easier cure.