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| Bill HB6565 would give students who object to animal dissection the option to choose humane alternatives. ©iStock.com |
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Everyone likes choices. And at the start of the next school year, Connecticut students will have one more—the ability to opt out of animal dissection—if a state bill currently pending in the state senate becomes law.
Compassionate Choice
The bill (HB6565) would mandate that public schools allow students who object to harming animals to choose humane alternatives instead.
The senate is expected to vote on HB6565—which passed with overwhelming support in the House of Representatives on April 22—by the close of the legislative session on June 3rd.
If the bill passes, Connecticut will join the 15 states—including New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Vermont—that have already passed laws or resolutions mandating student choice in dissection.
Animal Alternatives
Alternatives to animal dissection are widely available, and studies have shown that options like V-Frog—a virtual-reality-based dissection software program—are not only humane but deliver an educational experience just as effective as a traditional dissection model.
Alternatives are also typically substantially less expensive than the cost of animal dissection.
Millions of vertebrate animals are dissected every year in U.S. high schools alone, not including those animals dissected at colleges, and middle and elementary schools.
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Alternatives are more cost-effective and humane than animal dissection. ©iStock.com |
The most commonly dissected vertebrate animals are frogs, fetal pigs and cats.
Take Action
If you're a Connecticut resident, please encourage your state senators to vote for dissection choice!
For information on reducing the numbers of animals used in classroom dissection no matter where you live, check out our dissection action guide.
Updated May 25, 2009
