Tennessee set to get law requiring weaknesses of climate-change and evolution theories be taught

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, left, is likely to sign a bill that would protect public-school science teachers who discuss "weaknesses of theories such as evolution and global warming in their classrooms," reports Cameron McWhirter of The Wall Street Journal. The bill, which passed the Republican-dominated legislature by large margins, is similar to several in other states that have been either written or supported by the American Legislative Exchange Council, a business-backed, conservative group.

The bill "does not require the teaching of alternatives to scientific theories of evolution, climate change, human cloning and 'the chemical origins of life'," notes Neela Banerjee of the Los Angeles Times. "Instead, the legislation would prevent school administrators from reining in teachers who expound on alternative hypotheses to those topics."

There have been no cases of Tennessee teachers being punished for questioning evolution or climate change, but the bill's supporters say it will provide a safeguard if any are, while not allowing religious teaching. Wrong, say opponents, including science teachers, science organizations and the American Civil Liberties Union. ACLU spokeswoman Hedy Weinberg told McWhirther the bill would "gut science education in our schools." She added the Tennessee branch of the organization is ready to pursue litigation. Louisiana and Mississippi have passed similar laws, and science standards in seven other states now allow teachers to question evolution, McWhirther reports.

UPDATE: Gov. Bill Haslam allowed the bill to pass into law without his signature, ignoring pleas from parents, science teachers, the ACLU and science organizations to veto it. In a statement, he expressed "misgivings" about the bill, saying it would "create confusion over the state's science standards." Tennessee is now the second state to allow teaching of alternatives to climate change without fear of repercussion.