July 25, 2003

Proposed Legislation Requires "Intelligent Design"

On July 2 House Bill 4946 was introduced in the Michigan House of Representatives and referred to the Education Committee. This bill would amend Michigan's school code to require the state board of education to modify its science standards to include the idea of "intelligent design of a Creator" wherever evolution is mentioned.

HB 4946 was introduced by a member of the Education Committee, Rep. Kenneth Bradstreet, and has 24 co-sponsors, 8 of whom also sit on that 19-member committee. The relevant portion of HB 4946 reads as follows:

(10) As soon as practicable after the effective date of this subsection, the state board shall revise the recommended model core academic curriculum content standards under subsection (2) as follows:
(a) In the science standards, all references to "evolution" and "how species change through time" shall be modified to indicate that this is an unproven theory by adding the phrase "All students will explain the competing theories of evolution and natural selection based on random mutation and the theory that life is the result of the purposeful, intelligent design of a Creator.".
(b) In the science standards for middle and high school, all references to "evolution" and "natural selection" shall be modified to indicate that these are unproven theories by adding the phrase "Describe how life may be the result of the purposeful, intelligent design of a Creator.".
(c) In the science standards for middle and high school, all references to "evolution" and "natural selection" shall be modified to indicate that these are unproven theories by adding the phrase "Explain the competing theories of evolution and natural selection based on random mutation and the theory that life is the result of the purposeful, intelligent design of a Creator.".