Former Texas Board of Education chair argues for 'final blow' to evolution studies

The former chair of the Texas State Board of Education appeared at a board meeting this week to argue in favor of a new science textbooks he hoped would strike "the final blow" to studying evolution.

"Even though these biology books are full of unsubstantiated, dogmatic statements supporting evolution, there's still two major reasons why you should adopt these books," Don McLeroy told board members at a hearing on Tuesday. "First, by so doing, you will strike the final blow to the teaching of evolution."

The prospective new textbooks teach creationism alongside evolution, which McLeroy endorsed by saying they could prove the evidence supporting evolution was "incredibly weak, to non-existent -- and if there's no evidence, there's no evolution."

Right Wing Watch reported that unlike other speakers, who only had two minutes to address the board, McLeroy was granted more than 10 minutes to make his case. The new books, he argued, also "coincidentally happen to support what the Bible said," as did the world at large.

"Even the units on evolution support what the Bible says," McLeroy told the board.

Watch excerpts from McLeroy's remarks, posted on YouTube on Wednesday by Right Wing Watch, below.