The Utah State Senate approved amendments Monday, Jan. 23, 2006, to a bill that attempts to mandate what Utah teachers can say about the origins of man.

The 16-12 vote mirrored initial approval given Friday, Jan. 20, 2006, and moves the bill to the House for consideration. The amendment cleared up the question of whether the bill, sponsored by Sen. Chris Buttars, R-West Jordan, forces the state school board to add instruction on "origins of life" to state curricula. Currently, state biology classes teach about the evolution of species but do not address the origins or evolution of man, according to an Associated Press article.

The addition was made by Sen. Curt Bramble, R-Provo.

"If instruction is given to students on any theory regarding the origins of life, or the origins or present state of the human race, then that instruction shall stress that not all scientists agree on which theory is correct," it reads.

"It was Buttars' intent to make the school board add teaching on the origins of man to the state curriculum," Bramble said, "but with the amendments they have to qualify their teaching by saying there are other theories. You can still teach evolution. All the bill talks about is the mentioning of other existing theories about the origin of man."

Buttars said, as an example, that a teacher could teach how an alligator was formed through evolution, which is not prohibited by law until the teacher starts to address how man was created.

Democrats disagreed with Bramble's legislation. They asked him to clarify how a teacher would be expected to handle a question from students on other theories. One senator asked if teachers would be expected to explain other theories and tell what was wrong with them, and if it is up to the school board to decide how questions about evolution are answered, according to the Associated Press article.

Despite what state law may require, not all students agree that intelligent design belongs in the classroom.

"If you're teaching intelligent design in a religion or philosophy class, that is fine," said Eric Christensen, 24, a BYU political science graduate. "Just leave it out of the science class."

Some BYU professors agree with Christensen.

"Intelligent design, it is not a science," said biology professor Duane Jeffery. "The study of the origin of life should be a critical analysis of the available objective data."

Copyright Brigham Young University 24 Jan 2006