American Heritage Girls, which is “dedicated to the mission of building women of integrity through service to God, family, community and country,” has introduced a new Respect Life Patch that will serve to emphasize “the organization’s commitment to honoring life from conception to natural death.”
In a press release, the organization said that members could earn the Respect Life Patch by “participating in an event that brings attention to respecting life or by providing a service project for an organization whose mission/purpose demonstrates a desire to respect life…”
Girls wishing to earn the Respect Life Patch can provide a service to organizations such as pregnancy resource centers, pro-life groups, and hospices.
American Heritage Girls (AHG), which was founded in 1995, consists of more than 30,000 girls around the world and over 720 troops in 48 of the United States. The organization states that it is “a Christ-centered alternative to Girl Scouts because of its emphasis on Christian values and family involvement.”
AHG served as the largest sponsor of the Catholic Diocese of Arlington’s national prayer gathering and youth rally in Washington, D.C. prior to the March for Life event in January.
“Over the years AHG troops have supported life in a variety of ways, and we are pleased to offer them the opportunity to earn this patch and display it on their uniforms,” Patti Garibay, AHG executive director and founder, said.
Garibay began to explore another option for her daughters in 1993 when the Girl Scouts changed their pledge to include an option for girls to substitute the word “God” with other words they believed more suitable.
The Girl Scouts have since become closely tied to Planned Parenthood, an association that has led to national pro-life groups joining a boycott of Girl Scout cookies this year.
In addition, Breitbart News’ Austin Ruse reported in December that Josh Ackley, the Girl Scouts’ main media spokesman, had also been the lead singer of a “homopunk” band that made several controversial videos involving sex and violence.
In January, the Girl Scouts organization tweeted out support to Texas state Senator and Democrat gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis as one of their “Incredible Women of the Year.” Davis rose to rock star status last year when she filibustered a bill in the Texas state Senate that was eventually approved and banned late-term abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, as it also enhanced health and safety standards for abortion centers.
The Respect Life Patch was launched after girls in Michigan AHG troops designed and earned a Pro-Life Patch for participating in activities that support the pro-life movement, such as a prayer hour at a local abortion clinic during the 40 Days for Life campaign.