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Discovery Institute Takes up the Case of Bryan Leonard

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Discovery Institute Files Public Records Request in OSU Evolution Academic Freedom Case

SEATTLE – Discovery Institute has filed a public records request with the Ohio State University (OSU) seeking all documents related to Darwinist attacks on OSU doctoral candidate Bryan Leonard. The request was submitted under the Ohio Public Records Act.

In June, Leonard’s dissertation defense in the area of science education was suddenly postponed after three Darwinist professors at OSU attacked Leonard’s dissertation research because it analyzed how teaching students evidence for and against macroevolution impacted student beliefs. According to a news report in The Columbus Dispatch, the professors admitted at the time that they had not read Leonard’s dissertation.

“We are concerned that Leonard is being targeted for unfair and possibly illegal treatment because of his viewpoint about evolution, in violation of his First Amendment rights,” said Dr. John West, Associate Director of the Center for Science and Culture at Discovery Institute.

“We are further concerned that university officials may have been improperly influenced in their actions by outside Darwinist pressure groups who are trying to destroy Leonard’s career because of his support for teaching scientific criticisms of Darwin’s theory.”

Leonard, who is a high school biology teacher as well as a graduate student, helped draft Ohio’s innovative “Critical Analysis of Evolution” lesson plan adopted last year for use in schools statewide by the Ohio State Board of Education. In May of 2005, Leonard also testified in favor of new science standards being drafted in Kansas that would cover scientific criticisms of evolutionary theory.

“It looks an awful lot like Leonard is being targeted for payback,” said West.

The public records request was submitted by attorney Seth Cooper, a Senior Program Analyst in Public Policy & Legal Affairs at Discovery Institute.

“We are requesting all communications to and from university officials involving Mr. Leonard’s Ph.D. candidacy in order to determine if university officials have violated his rights,” added West. “We also want to determine the extent to which university actions may have resulted from a coordinated campaign by outside pressure groups to deprive Leonard of his academic freedom and his constitutional rights.”

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Comments
The church of Darwin will certainly suffer a blow on this one!Benjii
July 12, 2005
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It is about time that this ideology is properly exposed, for everyone to see to what lengths will priests of Darwinism go to defend their belief system. I hope legal action is pending in case irregularities are discovered. Srdjan Srdjan
July 12, 2005
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It would be interesting to see what the public records show. I think it would be in favor of Bryan Leonard defense. Its really sad @ how much the darwinist's go @ length to prevent criticism of the Darwinian Evolutionary Theory. Then go about telling everyone, with a blod face that there is no controversy or no one is bringing out these issues except "creationist". I think this time there maybe some evidence of the "proverbial darwinist hand" getting caught in the cookie jar [hope the public records show this]. CharlieCharliecrs
July 11, 2005
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