Louisiana State Legislature Passes Landmark Act That Encourages Critical Analysis of Evolution
Baton Rouge -- With a 36-0 vote, Louisiana’s state senate today passed a landmark academic freedom bill protecting teachers that encourage critical thinking and objective discussion about evolution and other scientific topics.
Known as the Louisiana Science Education Act, the bill was previously passed by the state’s House of Representatives with a 94-3 vote, and now will be sent to the governor for his signature.
"The bill is a bold statement protecting the freedom of teachers to discuss both the scientific evidence for and against Darwinian evolution and other controversial scientific theories," said Casey Luskin, an attorney and program officer for public policy and legal affairs at Discovery Institute. "The bill does exactly what it says, which is to allow teachers and school districts to 'use supplemental textbooks and other instructional materials to help students understand, analyze, critique, and review scientific theories in an objective manner.'"