To: National Desk
Contact: Ann Scheidler of the Pro-Life Action League, 773-777-2900, 312-965-1030 cell, ann@prolifeaction.org
Chicago, Oct. 12—The Pro-Life Action League is warning parents of ties between the popular American Girl doll company and Girls Inc., a group that promotes abortion, lesbianism and easy access to birth control for teens.
In August, the American Girl company, a subsidiary of Mattel Toys, Inc., launched the “I Can” campaign, which involves taking a pledge and purchasing a special bracelet. Seventy cents of each one-dollar bracelet sold will be donated to Girls Inc. American Girl is also donating an additional $50,000 to Girls Inc.
“Parents need to know that this effort to promote self-esteem among girls is not as innocent as it seems,” commented League Executive Director Ann Scheidler. “While Girls Inc. has some good programs, they also support abortion, oppose abstinence-only education for girls, and condone lesbianism.”
Scheidler points to the Girls Inc. web site, which declares that “girls need and have a right to . . . convenient access to safe, effective methods of contraception,” and that “Girls Incorporated supports a woman’s freedom of choice, a constitutional right established by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1973 in Roe vs. Wade” (Source: http://www.girlsinc.com/ic/page.php?id=4.3.4)
“Parents associate American Girl dolls with wholesome American family values, yet Girls Inc. contradicts parents’ most basic moral beliefs,” Scheidler said. “We’re encouraging parents, grandparents and other family members to write and call American Girl President Ellen L.
Brothers to object to the company’s support for Girls Inc.”
Scheidler hopes American Girl will sever ties with Girls Inc. before the League calls for a boycott of American Girl products and launches a picketing campaign at the American Girl Place retail stores in Chicago and New York.
Letters, phone calls and e-mails should be directed to:
- Ellen L. Brothers, President
American Girl
8400 Fairway Place
Middleton, WI 53562 - Tel: 1-800-845-0005
Fax: 608-828-4790
E-Mail: ellen.brothers@americangirl.com
