It’s Time to Lose the Obsolete Tradition of Classroom Animal Dissections and Adopt a More Ethical, Safer, and Effective Method
By Hannah Park
Millions of animals of over 170 species, including cats, frogs, and fetal pigs, are killed for school and university dissections in the U.S. each year, according to the American Anti-Vivisection Society (AAVS). However, anatomy and physiology can be taught as or more effectively as the traditional dissections, through digital programs, 3-D models, and synthetic animals. Through these methods and more, schools can easily adapt many non-animal alternatives that are both safer and are more ethical.
The history of this cruel and dangerous way of learning dates back to the sixteenth century, according to AAVS’s “History of Vivisection and Dissection” page of their “Dying to Learn” website. Andreas Vesalius, known as the founder of modern human anatomy, strongly believ...