Baton Rouge Advocate endorses repeal effort

In a March 20, 2013, editorial, the Baton Rouge Advocate editorially endorsed Louisiana's Senate Bill 26 (PDF), which if enacted would repeal the so-called Louisiana Science Education Act. "Ostensibly, the law is to allow divergent opinions to be taught in public school classrooms about evolution and global warming, among other topics," the editorial explained. "But in reality, it is cover for introducing religious views into science classrooms."

The editorial noted, "A leader of the anti-creationism forces is Rice University student Zack Kopplin, a Baton Rouge native who noted that the questioning of evolution provokes widespread criticism and ridicule of the state," and mentioned that he recruited seventy-eight Nobel laureates in the sciences to endorse the repeal effort. Kopplin received NCSE's Friend of Darwin award in 2012 in recognition of his efforts.

Senate Bill 26 was prefiled in the Louisiana Senate by Karen Carter Peterson (D-District 5) on March 12, 2013. It is the third attempt to repeal the Louisiana's antiscience bill, following SB 70 in 2011 and SB 374 in 2012. Also endorsing the repeal effort in Louisiana are the Louisiana Association of Biology Educators, the Louisiana Coalition for Science, and the New Orleans City Council.