N.D. bans intelligent design debate

Students in North Dakota debating programs have been banned from broaching the topic of intelligent design.

"We're doing this because we don't want to exclude any students from public forum debate at state," said Robert Hetler of the North Dakota High School Activities Association. "Some schools were afraid parents wouldn't allow their kids to do this one."

The National Forensic League recommended debating intelligent design in January, but instead, North Dakota students will debate the national topic for February, which will be released Jan. 1, the Fargo Forum reported.

Intelligent design holds that living things are so complex that they must have been created by a higher being. Earlier this month, a federal judge barred a Pennsylvania public school district from teaching the theory in biology class, saying it was a variation on creationism.

Copyright 2005 by United Press International