The Santorum Amendment was two short paragraphs of text which former Pennsylvania United States Senator Rick Santorum tried to add into President George W. Bush's No Child Left Behind act. The intent of the proposed addition was to stop public schools from teaching the theory of evolution dogmatically, but opponents said it the language would have the effect of supporting the teaching of intelligent design, which they regard as Creationism rather than as a legitimate scientific theory.
Eugenie Scott, director of the National Center for Science Education, said that the amendment "will encourage the teaching of creationism. If a teacher is looking for a loophole or justification to bring non-scientific views into the curriculum, this amendment can be interpreted that way." [1]
- The approach advocated in the Santorum Amendment is favored by the vast majority of Americans, no matter what their race, gender, or political party. According to a nationwide Zogby poll in 2009, 80 percent of likely voters "agree that teachers and students should have the academic freedom to discuss both the strengths and weaknesses of evolution as a scientific theory." [2]