WASHINGTON—As students are settling back into school, The HSUS
is urging teachers, students and parents to consider
alternatives to the traditional animal dissection lesson that
is still a fixture in many science classes.
According to The HSUS, every year an estimated six million
animals are dissected in U.S. high schools alone,
including frogs, fetal pigs, cats and other species. Many
schools, including middle schools, continue to use dissection
despite the availability of effective alternatives and the
efforts of students, parents and animal advocates to argue
against policies that penalize students for refusing to dissect
animals.
“In 2004, there is no reason to force students who are
concerned about animals to dissect them,” said Kathleen Conlee,
HSUS director of program management for Animal Research Issues.
“Students who use alternatives learn the material as well as or
better than those students who perform dissection. Alternatives
are also less expensive than the use of animals—this is
something that should be extremely appealing to schools during
these times of tight budgets.”
Dissection raises many concerns, including the suffering
endured by animals during capture, handling, transport and/or
killing for dissection. Dissection of some species also
contributes to a decline in wild animal populations. For these
and other reasons, some students may object to participating in
dissection. Some students may turn away from science if they
are forced to participate in dissection or if they are
penalized for failing to participate.
The HSUS offers a variety of resources that range from
advising students on navigating school policies to running a
program that loans free alternatives to schools that don’t yet
have dissection alternatives available. The HSUS also offers
students a free Dissection Campaign Packet and has published The Use of Animals in
Higher Education: Problems, Alternatives and
Recommendations, which explores the ethical issues
surrounding the procurement of animals for dissection,
evaluates the impact of dissection on students, and makes
policy recommendations. The 113-page book can be downloaded for
free from The HSUS’ web site at www.hsus.org.
Currently, seven states-- Florida, California, Pennsylvania,
New York, Rhode Island, Illinois, and Virginia--have student
choice laws that provide public school students in grades K-12
the choice to use alternatives to dissection. Surveys show that
the majority of science teachers support student choice
policies.
Student choice legislation is pending in New Jersey. Maine
has a similar state-wide Department of Education policy and
Louisiana passed a similar resolution in 1992. In Maryland,
school boards are required to include information on available
alternatives in their course listings. Many schools and school
boards have independently enacted student-choice policies. New
York also has legislation pending that will require that
students be notified of their right to opt out of performing or
witnessing animal dissection. The HSUS believes that
notification of students is a vital part of student choice
policies and urges all states to incorporate this as part of
their legislation.
“State legislatures are slowly recognizing that
student choice is common sense,” says Conlee. “Why should some
students be unfairly forced to participate in dissection when
there are effective and less costly alternatives available?”
The Humane Society of the United States is the nation’s
largest animal protection organization with more than eight
million members and constituents. The HSUS is a mainstream
voice for animals, with active programs in companion animals
and equine protection, wildlife and habitat protection, animals
in research and farm animals and sustainable agriculture. The
HSUS protects all animals through legislation, litigation,
investigation, education, advocacy and fieldwork. The
non-profit organization, which is celebrating its 50th
anniversary in 2004, is based in Washington, DC and has 10
regional offices across the country. On the web at
www.hsus.org.
