Dear Friend,
Religious right activists across the country are doing their best to make sure students are ignorant of evolution by working with legislators to introduce creationism bills in states like Missouri, Oklahoma, and South Dakota, just to name a few. Unfortunately, these activists have now turned their attention to Ohio as part of their nationwide effort to inject religion into public schools.
A bill, H.B. 597, was recently introduced in the Ohio House of Representatives by Representatives Andy Thompson and Matt Huffman that would allow for creationism to be taught alongside evolution in science classes. When asked why he thought this bill was important, Rep. Thompson said “I think it would be good for [students] to consider the perspectives of people of faith.”
Rep. Thompson and his allies need to be reminded that science classes should teach scientific topics like evolution, and that churches and other houses of worship should be the ones that teach religious ideas like intelligent design. Students don’t go to school to learn about religion, they go to get an education that is based on verifiable facts.
Ohio simply cannot afford to waste taxpayer money and the time of students by teaching religious ideology in public school science classes. With your help we can make sure that this bill and others like it don’t pass state legislatures in Ohio and across the country.
Contact your State Representative and let her or him know you oppose this unnecessary bill.
Your hard work defending science education is appreciated by the AHA and students nation-wide.
Sincerely,
Roy Speckhardt
Executive Director
