BATON ROUGE, La. – Teaching creationism in Louisiana science classes is unconstitutional, but senators refuse to repeal a law that mandates it.
The Senate voted 32-5 Monday against a bill by Republican Sen. Dan Claitor that would remove a law requiring public schools to give balanced treatment in science classes and textbooks to evolution and creationism. The law also prohibits teaching evolution as proven scientific fact.
The law, passed in 1981, was found unconstitutional in 1987 by the Louisiana Supreme Court, so it can’t be enforced. But lawmakers have refused to strip it from the books.
No one spoke against Claitor’s bill before it was rejected.
The senator can try to revive the measure, but with so few votes, it would be unlikely to pass.
