U.S. Rep. Pete Stark Sponsors: National Darwin Day Resolution
-- SCA Urges Support for Recognizing ‘Science in the Betterment of Humanity’ on Feb. 12
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA) announced today the introduction of H. Res. 81, calling for the designation of Feb. 12, 2011, as Darwin Day in order to recognize the work of Charles Darwin and the importance of science in the advancement of humanity.
Rep. Stark, the American Humanist Association’s 2008 Humanist of the Year, collaborated with the AHA, a Secular Coalition member organization, to produce the resolution.
“Darwin’s birthday is a good time for us to reflect on the important role of science in our society,” Stark said. “It is also a time to redouble our efforts to ensure that children are being taught scientific facts, not religious dogma, and to fight back against those who seek to undermine the science of climate change for political ends.”
The resolution recognizes the importance of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by the mechanism of natural selection, which is further supported by the modern understanding of genetics. The advancement of science and the academic integrity of the nation’s education system are singled out in the resolution as needing protection from those who are unconcerned with the adverse impacts of climate change and who are intent on the teaching of creationism, respectively.
A recently published survey in the journal Science found that only 28 percent of biology teachers present evidence for evolution as recommended by the National Research Council, while 13 percent “explicitly advocate” creationism.
The Secular Coalition firmly supports this resolution and urges anyone who supports the advancement of science of reason to call or email his or her U.S. representative and ask that the representative vote in favor of H. Res. 81. You can read the entire resolution here.
To contact your representative using the AHA's Action Center, please click here.
