Is Antievolution Legislation Dead?

The National Center for Science Education recently posted an article on its web site commenting on how the proposed antievolution legislation in Oklahoma is now presumed dead.

Of course, the state Senate meets again next week. Who knows what could happen, especially this legislative session? But it does appear likely the legislation won't be approved.

The State Chamber, which must be concerned with Oklahoma's national image when it comes to science issues, should give an award to Oklahomans for Excellence in Science Education. OESE has consistently fought antievolution initiatives in Oklahoma, Undoubtedly, it will have to lead the fight again next year.

The most recent legislation, House Resolutions 1014 and 1015 were critical of Richard Dawkins, who recently gave a speech at the University of Oklahoma. Dawkins, a biologist and a former Oxford professor, is a noted author, an outspoken atheist and a supporter of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.

According to the NCSE:

Both measures, if adopted, would have expressed the strong opposition of the Oklahoma House of Representatives to "the invitation to speak on the campus of the University of Oklahoma to Richard Dawkins of Oxford University, whose published statements on the theory of evolution and opinion about those who do not believe in the theory are contrary and offensive to the views and opinions of most citizens of Oklahoma."

The resolutions garnered national attention this year and again made Oklahoma look backwards as the bills languished in the legislature. The state, given the current economic situation, can ill-afford this type of negative publicity, but given the current GOP-controlled legislature it’s probably safe to presume more antievolution and religious intrusion bills will come up next year.

In a related issue, Greg Lukianoff, writing for Huffington Post, gave national attention to an investigation of the University of Oklahoma over Dawkins’ speech.

In March, Lukianoff wrote:

… I just received confirmation today in a letter from the Open Records Office at the University of Oklahoma. The letter confirms that on the day of Dawkins' speech, Oklahoma State Representative Rebecca Hamilton requested substantial information relating to the speech from Vice President for Governmental Relations Danny Hilliard. Representative Hamilton's exhaustive request included demands for all e-mails and correspondence relating to the speech; a list of all money paid to Dawkins and the entities, public or private, responsible for this funding; and the total cost to the university, including, among other things, security fees, advertising, and even "faculty time spent promoting this event."

Lukianoff has apparently been seeking more information about the investigation, but has received no official responses. Last week, Lukianoff wrote:

. . . I have still received no official response from the legislature, Hamilton or anybody actually involved in instigating the Dawkins kerfuffle. Therefore, my organization, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, is trying a different approach. Last Friday, we sent a letter reaching out to the Oklahoma legislature to tell them that rather than investigate speakers they don't like, they could instead devote their energies to protecting free speech and basic rights on campus. We pointed out the continuing problem of speech codes on campus and highlighted some of the worst abuses of free speech we have seen on campus in recent years, many of which I've covered here on the Huffington Post.