(February 13, 2007) TOPEKA--A national group is urging the Kansas State Board of Education to reject a plan to delete coverage of the historical misuses of science from state curriculum standards, including a reference to the infamous Tuskegee syphilis experiment targeting African-Americans.

"The board's plan to whitewash the history of science is shameful," said Dr. John West, Vice at Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture. West sent a letter to the board on Monday opposing the change. "Especially disturbing is the board's proposal--during Black History month no less--to eliminate any mention of the infamous Tuskegee syphilis experiment from the state curriculum.”

The Tuskegee experiment, which took place from the 1930s to the early 1970s, left nearly 400 African-American men untreated during the late stages of syphilis in order to collect medical data from their autopsies. The experiment is one of the most infamous examples of the abuse of human research subjects.

"It is only by studying these past abuses that students--our scientists of the future--can learn about the critical importance of science operating within ethical standards," wrote West to the board.

Kansas' current standards call for students to understand that:
"modern science can sometimes be abused by scientists and policymakers, leading to significant negative consequences for society and violations of human dignity (e.g., the eugenics movement in America and Germany; the Tuskegee syphilis experiments; and scientific justifications of eugenics and racism)."

The latter language would be deleted under the proposal to be voted on Tuesday, which is part of a package of changes being championed by the new pro-Darwin majority on the state board.

Discovery Institute is a non-profit, non-partisan education and research organization. For more information please www.discovery.org.