On Thursday, September 12, the New Jersey state Senate voted
37–0 in favor of a bill that would allow public school students
to opt out of biology-class dissections without penalty. If
approved by the state's Assembly and governor, New Jersey could
become only the tenth state in the union to enact such a law.
Joseph Suliga (D-Union) introduced the legislation, Senate
Bill 240, three years ago when he served in the New Jersey
Assembly, after receiving a complaint from a local high school
honor student who was morally opposed to dissection but still
wanted to learn about animal biology. Suliga's bill, which
followed him to the state Senate when he moved to that upper
chamber, states that schools must provide students with
alternative projects when they opt out of dissections.
"After I looked into it, for the one day they dissect the
animals, it's really not an integral part of the educational
process. There [are] other alternatives," Suliga told The
Star-Ledger.
The HSUS plays an active role in encouraging educators and
students to implement humane yet innovative teaching methods
into biology curricula. The HSUS's Humane Education Loan
Program (HELP) is a free service that loans a wide variety of
items ranging from videos to CD-ROMs to lifelike models. HSUS's
Director for Education and Animal Welfare, Dr. Lesley King,
notes that the "learning experience associated with using
alternatives is still hands-on and investigative, and the
students get the same extent and quality of instruction. They
just don't have to harm animals in the process."
Sources: The Star-Ledger
(September 13), The HSUS
