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The state of Louisiana voted unanimously to pass a landmark academic freedom bill that would protect the right of teachers who desire to to discuss scientific theories in support for or against evolution.

"This is great news for the science teachers in public school classrooms in Louisiana," says Wade Warren, a professor of Biology at Louisania College. "It's great news for science education in the whole State of Louisiana...not all DNA and fossil evidence support a Darwinian view of life. This bill gives teeth to the freedom of a public school science teacher to ask their students to objectively analyze the scientific data."

Click above to read mor about the landmark film that challenged Darwin's theory of evolution, "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed"

The state senate approved the Louisiana Science Education Act 36-0, after the bill passed the House of Representatives on last week with a 94-3 vote.

The bill says it encourages "critical thinking skills, logical analysis, and open and objective discussion of scientific theories being studied including, but not limited to, evolution, the origins of life, global warming, and human cloning."

Teachers would now be allowed to use supplemental textbooks and other materials to help students "understand, analyze, critique, and review scientific theories in an objective manner."

As the bill awaits final approval by the state govenor, Bobby Jindal, opponents of the bill are claiming it is a "disguised attempt" to get intelligent design and creationism into public school science classes.

Alan Lesher, CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, challenged the academic bill, saying it implies there is a controversy about evolution among scientists.

"But there is virtually no controversy about evolution among the overwhelming majority of researchers," wrote Lesher, who leads the world's largest scientific society. "The science of evolution underpins all of modern biology and is supported by tens of thousands of scientific studies in fields that include cosmology, geology, paleontology, genetics and other biological specialties."

Lesher noted that the U.S. Supreme Court has already declared a Louisiana "creation science" law unconstitutional back in 1987.

The Discovery Institute, which advocates intelligent design, has cautioned opponents of the new bill it is not designed to simply promote the usage of religious materials in science classes.

The measure states that it "shall not be construed to promote any religious doctrine, promote discrimination for or against a particular set of religious beliefs, or promote discrimination for or against religion or nonreligion."

Despite the measure's stance, opponents at the Louisiana Coalition for Science still say the law is in clear violation of the Establishment Clause contained in the Constitution, which prohibits sectarian doctrine. Oppponents believe the new measure attempts to "sidestep" that violation.

However, Casey Luskin, a program officer for public policy and legal affairs at Discovery Institute, defends the bill's constitutionality, and says the U.S. Supreme Court has made it clear that it is "permissible for schools to teach scientific critiques of prevailing scientific theories."

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