First off, I want to say that I have a science major with my Bachelor's degree, and by no means do I have problems with the theory of evolution.
That said, it is somewhat surprising that many on this board who attest to not letting government tell us what to think want the government to have the last say in this issue and parents to have their rights taken away. Parents are the primary educators of their children and deserve to decide what they want their kids exposed to. As far as evolution goes, is there really a strong voice saying that they don't want evolution taught in schools in Alberta? I don't hear it. As far as high school science goes, the answer is simple. If you don't want to study evolution, don't take biology. It is not a required course. If you do take biology, then you are required to learn about evolution because it is a scientific theory that is extremely important to the study of biology. You don't have to believe in evolution, but you do need to understand what the theory says. This solution may not be as easy in other grade levels, but I suspect a solution could be found.
It sounds like that what this legislation is really about is "subject-matter that deals explicitly with religion, sexuality or sexual orientation". To me as a parent, there are lots of things that could be taught in this realm that I am not sure I would be comfortable with. I feel I should have the final say in what my child learns. I don't want a teacher telling my six year old in grade one that there are many different kinds of families: ones with one mommy and one daddy, ones with two daddies, ones with two mommies. You can choose the kind of family you will want one day. I don't want this introduced in grade 1 and there are all kinds of moral implications that do not need to be dealt with for six year olds.
To take away a parent's rights to choose their children's education in the areas of sexuality, sexual orientation, or religion makes the government very Orwellian in my books.
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