Indiana state Rep. Bob Morris has apologized for the tone of his criticism of the Girl Scouts, but says he stands behind his allegations regarding the group’s national leadership. Morris drew a firestorm of criticism and a bit of ridicule from some of his Republican colleagues this week when he called the Girl Scouts a radical group that supports abortion and homosexuality. He refused to sign a House resolution passed last week honoring the group on its 100th anniversary.In a letter to the Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette, Morris called his remarks “emotional, reactionary and inflammatory,” adding that he shouldn’t have painted the entire organization with a wide brush.But Morris says he stands by his contention that the scouts’ national leadership has pursued an affiliation with Planned Parenthood.Girl Scout officials have denied the lawmaker’s claims and say issues such as sex education and abortion should be left for scouts to discuss with their families. (Information for this story also came from the Associated Press)
Rick Howlett was midday host and the host of LPM's weekly talk show, "In Conversation." He was with LPM from 2001-2023 and held many different titles, including Morning Edition host, Assignment Editor and Interim News Director. He died in August 2023. Read a remembrance of Rick here.