The rule of law and science are under attack in Louisiana and Texas.

Louisiana Republican Governor Piyush “Bobby” Jindal supports teaching creationism as “the very best science.” To show his support, Governor Jindal singed “Senate Bill 733 into law, twenty-seven years after the state passed its Balanced Treatment for Evolution-Science and Creation-Science Act, a law overturned by the Supreme Court in 1987.” The Senate Bill 733 has also been characterized as “the stealth creationism bill.” From 2TheAdvocate, LA:

For years, backers of “creation science” and “intelligent design” have said they seek only to promote critical thinking about the origins of life on Earth. Nothing more.

If “critical thinking” is sought in classrooms, there was no need for a new state law. Yet creationism backers pushed a bill through a weak Legislature that authorizes “supplemental materials” in science classes. But no, not creationism, they said. Over and over again. Gov. Bobby Jindal, who signed the bill into law, said he only wanted students to get the full range of opinion on the subject.

There is no need for a state law to encourage critical thinking on specific subjects. But if one’s goal is to push the Bible story of creation into classrooms, some sort of legal cover is needed.

When the state Department of Education and an expert committee wrote rules to implement the new law, the rules forbid the teaching of religion in schools.

The original rules touched directly on creationism: “Materials that teach creationism or intelligent design or that advance the religious belief that a supernatural being created humankind shall be prohibited for use in science classes.”

That’s what the U.S. Supreme Court ordered when it struck down a Louisiana creationism law in 1987. That’s what other federal courts have ordered in similar debates.

That is the law in the United States.

Some Texas State Board of Education members are using their status to impose their interpretations of Christianity onto science education standards. From the Houston Chronicle:

As scientists and educators across Texas and the nation mark the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin with calls for a renewed commitment to science education, the State Board of Education continues to engage in narrow theological debate about the validity of evolution. If Texas schoolchildren are to succeed in the 21st Century economy, the SBOE must focus less on internal philosophical differences and more on improving science instruction.

Last month, the board once again got bogged down in a bitter dispute over this issue. Members tentatively approved new science curriculum standards that protect teaching of evolution in one area, while creationists succeeded in watering it down elsewhere. Sadly, it was just the latest battle in the “culture war” being fought by a board that decides what more than 4.7 million Texas children learn in their public schools.

Families should be the primary educators on matters of faith, not our public schools. Regardless of board members’ personal beliefs on creationism and evolution, science classrooms are not the place for resolving such disagreements about faith. Those classrooms should focus on science.

Despite one’s personal stance on evolution, its teaching is critical to the study of all the biological sciences.

Scientists from our state’s universities have expressed this to the board, and have warned that watering down science education would undermine biotechnology, medical and other industries that are crucial to our state’s future.

Last session, the Legislature committed to investing $3 billion over the next 10 years in making Texas the global leader in cancer research and finding cures. This historic investment is certain to bring economic and academic opportunities to our state.

Sadly, even as our state takes one step forward, the SBOE moves us two steps back by continuing to support a diminished standard for science education. Texas’ credibility and its investment in research and technology are placed at risk by these ongoing, unproductive debates.

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