Educators in Oklahoma would be forced to openly question in their classes the legitimacy of the scientific theory of evolution should a new bill become state law.
“It’s a simple fact that the presentation of some issues in science classes can lead to controversy, which can discourage teachers from engaging students in an open discussion of the issues,” state Rep. Sally Kern, a Republican, said in defense of the bill she filed recently.
The legislation (HB 1551) titled the “Scientific Education and Academic Freedom Act” singled out “biological evolution, the chemical origins of life, global warming, and human cloning” as topics that are controversial and thus questionable.
It is the second of such anti-evolution proposals in Oklahoma and the fourth filed nationwide so far this year.
In response to a similar bill that died in committee in 2009, Oklahomans for Excellence in Science Education called any claims that evolution is controversial as “just plain dishonest,” adding that they are "phony fabrications, invented and promoted by people who don’t like evolution.’
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http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/01/oklahoma-bill-would-mandate-educators-question-evolution-in-classes/
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