House votes down Origins of Life bill

A bill that would regulate how the origins of species could be taught in public schools did not survive the House on Monday.

SB96, sponsored by Sen. Chris Buttars, R-West Jordan, would have prevented educators from teaching as fact their ideas about the origins of species.

It would have required the State Board of Education to establish curriculum requirements with instruction stressing that the scientific theory about the origin of species and evolution is not empirically proven.

But legislators in the House said they were concerned about singling out just that theory and stepping on what was could be the State Board of Education's turf.

House Majority Whip Steve Urquhart, R-St. George, amended the bill deleting all language save three lines that reinforce the state board's role in establishing scientific instruction.

The bill then failed 28-46 and will most likely not be revived.

"I don't believe anybody in there really wants their kids taught that their great-grandfather was an ape and yet you try and clarify that and they confuse the issue saying that it was going to challenge all of science," Buttars said.

Rep. Scott Wyatt, R-Logan, said he agreed with every aspect of the bill but questioned if singling out the theory of evolution as not empirically might provide added weight to other theories.

"There is not much in science that is absolute rock-solid scientific proof," Wyatt said. "If we decide to weigh in on this one particular theory are we going to begin weighing in on all theories and are we the correct body to do that?"

Urquhart said that the issue was something best left in the realm of science and it should be left out of the political arena.

"We should leave this up to the State Office of Education — they've been tasked to do this, not us," he said.

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