Dissection

Each year in the U.S., an estimated 20 million animals are used in cruel, outdated teaching exercises. Roughly half of them are used for classroom dissections. Frogs are the most commonly dissected animals below the university level. Other species include cats, mice, rats, worms, squid, rabbits, fetal pigs, and fish. The animals may come from breeding facilities that cater to businesses that use animals in experiments; they could be abandoned animal companions who have been sold by an animal shelter to biological supply companies; or they may have been caught in the wild. For example, millions of frogs are captured in their natural habitats every year and the U.S. Department of the Interior has even stated that amphibian population declines are due in part to the use of amphibians in dissection.¹ Educators can play an important role in preventing this animal suffering and also enhance students’ learning experiences by utilizing some of the modern, educationally effective non-animal learning methods available.

Nearly every published comparative study in the science education literature has concluded that non-animal methods, like computer software, teach anatomy and complex biological processes as well as, or better than, animal-based lessons. In fact, in 2008, the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) amended its official position statement on animal dissection to approve and encourage the use of non-animal alternatives.²

And a growing number of educators believe that dissection devalues life by reducing animals to mere "specimens" and "tools" to be used and disposed of. Numerous studies have shown that there is a link between how students treat animals and how they treat one another. Research has shown that a significant number of students at every educational level are uncomfortable with the use of animals in dissection and experimentation. Studies also suggest that exposing young people to animal dissection as "science" can foster callousness toward animals and nature and even dissuade some from pursuing careers in science.³

Thankfully, humane science education programs are becoming more common. Fifteen states have laws or policies mandating that students have the option to learn science and anatomy by using one of the many humane alternatives to dissection, which are high-tech, effective, affordable, and reusable. Progressive programs like the physician recommended Digital Frog 2.5 and the DryLabPlus Fetal Pig provide full interactive virtual dissections and teach students how animals' bodies work while also conveying the intrinsic value of all animal life and that we can, and should, learn about animals without harming them.

States with dissection-choice laws or policies include California, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia. If your state is not among those that guarantee students' right to choose, request an educator dissection pack from TeachKind. This pack will provide you with information on alternatives to dissection and advice about changing school policy.