Academic Freedom Legislation

Academic freedom legislation proposed for evolution critics, according to an article in The Christian Post, 10 May 2008. Four USA states are preparing legislation to “guarantee the freedom of both teachers and students throughout public schools to share views contradicting or challenging the tenets of Darwinism in the classroom without fears of reprisal.” The laws are being proposed in Louisiana, Missouri, Alabama, and Michigan in response to claims by students and teachers that they are discriminated against if they express doubts about evolutionary theory. This academic ostracism is documented by Ben Stein’s recently released film “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed”.

Jonathan Wells, a biologist with the Discovery Institute, which promotes Intelligent Design, commented: “In educational institutions that receive taxpayer support, it is entirely appropriate for the government to ensure that teachers and students have the right to discuss freely the evidence and scientific arguments for and against evolutionary theory.”

The proposed legislation is facing strong opposition by those who claim that any criticism of evolution is an attempt to bring religion into the science classroom. However, Casey Luskin, an attorney with the Discovery Institute, commented in a statement from the Institute: “Charles Darwin himself said that fair results could only be obtained by fully balancing and stating the facts and arguments on both sides of each question. What these bills seek to do is to restore Charles Darwin’s approach to teaching evolution — to teach it in a balanced, objective fashion.”

Christian Post