A law that is controversial in the second largest American state. The Governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, signed a law this Friday, June 20, requiring that the ten commandments, a Catholic religious text, are shown in all classrooms of state public schools.
“The objective of this bill is to examine what is historically important for our nation at the educational and judicial level,” said Republican representative Candy Noble, co-republic of the bill, during his adoption by the House of Representatives, according to the American Associated Press.
The bill, easily adopted by both the House of Representatives of Texas and by its Senate controlled by the Republicans, establishes that as of September 1, each class has a 41 cm poster by 51 cm with a specific English version of the religious text.
Greg Abbott also signed a law that protected the law of employees of public schools to pronounce religious speeches or pray during their service, or a law that allows school districts to authorize a period of prayer and reading of religious texts during the hours, of course.
“Today, I have signed an essential law, adopted during the 89th Ordinary Legislative Session, which protects the safety of Texans and retains the individual freedoms on which our great state has been founded,” Abbott said in a press release. “When working with the Texas Legislative Assembly, we will make sure that Texas remains the best place to live, work and start a family.”
“We will not allow Texan legislators to divide communities”
Many voices have been raised in front of these laws, including imposing the poster of the ten commandments. Violating the separation of the Church and the State, its detractors consider that they are contrary to the American Constitution. Several groups of civil liberty defenses, but also religious leaders have opposed the bill. In a letter, dozens of Christian and Jewish religious leaders, united to the biblical text, warned that this measure could discriminate against the thousands of students from other confessions and, therefore, violates the religious freedom of others.
The American Union for Civil Liberties, the Freedom from Religion Foundation or the United States for the separation of the Church and the State had warned that they would be a legal action if the law was signed, reports the morning news of Dallas. For these opponents, this law is “manifestly unconstitutional.”
“Government representatives have no right to interfere in these deeply personal religious issues,” civil liberty defense groups said in a joint statement last month.
“We will not allow Texan legislators to divide communities according to religious criteria and try to transform public schools into Sunday schools,” they abounded.
Texas is not the first state has tried to establish this measure, and it would not be the first time that justice would be seized on the subject.
In Arkansas, the same measure is challenged before a federal court. In Louisiana, a similar law, considered unconstitutional, was blocked by a federal appeal court. And the attorney general of this state, Liz Murrill said he was ready to present the case before the United States Supreme Court if necessary.
Source: BFM TV
