Commonwealth Policy Center

The Boy Scouts of America have entered into a bankruptcy deal after many years of spiraling downward and facing near collapse amid its sexual abuse crisis. The deal includes an $850 million fund to compensate thousands of men who were sexually abused in the Scout program. And the national organization and local councils would be released from any future liability for abuse claims. The Boy Scouts faced 275 lawsuits at the time of the filing, and are now facing more than 82,500 sexual abuse claims in the bankruptcy case. How did this once-revered American institution end up in a shamble? Unfortunately, many turned a blind eye to the abuse. The Boy Scouts further compromised by jettisoning its moral compass. They allowed openly homosexual scoutmasters and transgender scouts. At the root is sin, which ended up spreading like wildfire.