'Origins of Life' bill clears hurdle

Following testimony on the merits of Darwin's theory of evolution, a bill the sponsor hopes will prevent talk that humans evolved from apes cleared its first legislative hurdle Tuesday.

The Senate Education Standing Committee voted 4-2 to send SB96, sponsored by Sen. Chris Buttars, R-West Jordan, to the full Senate for debate.

Sens. Karen Hale, D-Salt Lake, and Patrice Arent, D-South Cottonwood, cast the dissenting votes. Arent said she was reluctant to dictate curriculum from Capitol Hill.

The bill follows public discussion across the country about intelligent design, the concept that life is too complex to be explained by Darwin's theory of evolution alone. A Pennsylvania federal court struck down teaching intelligent design in public schools as unconstitutional.

Yet SB96 makes no mention of intelligent design or evolution. Rather, it focuses on avoiding "the perception that all scientists agree on any one theory, or that the state endorses one theory over another" regarding life's origin, "in order to encourage students to critically analyze theories regarding the origins of life . . . or present state of the human race."

"There is no faith-based in here. They're all inferring that. I don't know why they're doing that," Buttars said. "All the bill says is, don't overstate what you don't know."

But opponents say the bill opens the door to any non-scientific theory on the origins of life to be taught in public schools. "Whose viewpoints on the origins of life are we going to talk on?" Larry Madden, president of the Utah Science Teachers Association, said after the hearing. "Everyone's?"

The high school biology core curriculum addresses the theory of evolution in regard to the diversity of life on earth but does not direct teachers to touch on the origin of life, said Brett Moulding, the Utah State Office of Education's director of curriculum. Teens are to be taught that science findings are based on empirical evidence, and that conclusions are tentative and subject to revision as new evidence emerges.

The State Board of Education last fall adopted a position statement supporting evolution lessons in public schools but also directed teachers to be respectful of beliefs students bring to the classroom.

The board last week voted to oppose Buttars' bill.

"My issues are specific to the implications of this bill . . . that any scientist's theory could be brought forward and discussed," Moulding said. "I can't think of a theory that could be introduced that would be (scientifically) acceptable."

Sen. Mark Madsen, R-Lehi, noted nothing in the bill requires any other theory to be introduced.

Still, bill opponents indicated a need for another viewpoint in the classroom.