In this file photo, Tennessee state representative Bo Watson, center, participates in a legislative roundtable at the Times Free Press with Dewayne Bunch, left, and Eric Stewart. Watson, R-Hixson, has introduced a bill that critics say will undercut the teaching of evolution in Tennessee schools.NASHVILLE – Sen. Bo Watson said Wednesday his bill letting teachers discuss “weaknesses” in “controversial” scientific theories in the classroom is not an attack on evolution, but critics denounce as a backdoor effort to undercut teaching of it in Tennessee public schools.
“It’s not an evolution bill. That’s a red herring. It germinates an emotional response that [critics] want,” said Watson, R-Hixson, a day after former House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh, D-Covington, derisively referred to the measure in a House panel as the “monkey bill.”
That was an allusion to the law Tennessee lawmakers passed in the 1920s banning the teaching of evolution in public schools. It later led to the infamous 1925 “Monkey Trial” in Dayton of school teacher John Scopes.
Watson presented the bill, saying it seeks to “create an environment” in public schools “that encourages students to explore scientific questions, learn about scientific evidence, develop critical thinking skills and respond appropriately and respectfully to differences of opinion about controversial issues.”
The bill also says “teaching of some scientific subjects, including, but not limited to, biological evolution, the chemical origins of life, global warming, and human cloning, can cause controversy.”