WASHINGTON - The Humane Society of the United States today
congratulated the New Jersey State Senate, as it voted 37-0 to
pass a bill allowing student choice in public school biology
dissection classes. The vote came late today.
“This is a great achievement on behalf of New Jersey’s
students,” said Dr. Lesley King, director for education and
animal welfare for The Humane Society of the United States.
“The majority of research studies have demonstrated that
students who choose not to dissect animals perform as well or
even better than their counterparts,” said Dr. King, “yet some
schools still require students to perform dissection as a
prerequisite for higher grades. This law will ensure that all
students receive a biology education that is both high quality
and humane to animals. ”
An estimated six million animals are used in high school
dissection every year. They include frogs, fetal pigs, cats,
rabbits, turtles and a variety of other species. Many of these
animals are removed from the wild and killed specifically for
dissection purposes. Others are pet or feral animals that end
up at animal shelters.
In contrast, dissection alternatives include computer
programs, some with 3-D displays, models and videotapes that
allow students to view an actual dissection without performing
one, or to learn interactively on simulations of actual
animals. “The learning experience 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,” says King. The HSUS runs a dissection alternatives
loan program that includes a wide variety of items available,
for free, to teachers and students. Additionally, The HSUS’
biologists can help teachers identify the best resources for
their lessons.
If this student choice legislation goes on to pass the
Assembly, New Jersey will join several other states that have
laws protecting a student’s right to choose alternatives to
dissection. Many schools and school boards have also
independently enacted student-choice policies, such as Clarke
County, Nevada, who earlier this year unanimously adopted a
county-wide policy.
