Animals in Schools used for 'Science Experiments'

[Ruftybear]

I remember being severely punished in high school for not participating in a science class which required us to dissect an animal. They used mice, rats and when it was our turn guinea pigs. I was appauled and refused point blank to have any part of it. I got into so much trouble at school, but I can remember my parents being really supportive of my decision.

I am wondering if things like this are still done in schools, whether in the US or anywhere else? If so, does anyone know who is fighting to stop it, or if it can be stopped?

If so I am glad we homeschool, because there is no way my daughter would have ever be able to do it.

[Fluffball]

Now they are not allowed to disect animals (at least in Australia). But I do know that you disect parts of animals that come from the butcher shop. Such as kidneys, livers, hearts and eyes. You also have the choice to refuse and not do the experiment, and they give you a theory test instead.

Last year we had 12 students sit out , the teachers always gave us the option at the begining to either complete it or do a theory test.

[strigercake]

Where I live, the schools still dissect frogs, worms, mice, cow's eyes and pig's eyes, and once I remember kittens when I was in school. I never did it, nor seen it.

I don't really know where they get the animals from though, but the school does give you an option to sit out with no questions asked. They just give you something else to do.

[Res Judicata]

I hate dissection. Hated it. Didn't have a choice, though. But that was the early 90s. It was luck of the draw what our groups got to dissect in biology. Luckily I didn't have to dissect anything more complex than a starfish and a clam. I don't know what I would have done had they handed me the fetal pig, or cow eyeball, or whatever else they had that I don't remember.

My son's in seventh grade. I heard they dissect worms in science class this year. I'll have to see if anything comes home saying they can opt out. It's a worm, not a fetal pig, etc., so we'll see if that affects opting out or anything.

[Shaffy]

I'm not sure if we do dissections.. If we do, Alot of the kids in my class will sit out. People Can stop it if enough students sit out or protest, the adimastrators acan and possible will send us home. Or if will go through their heads that were not doing it and thay can't make us.

[Fanch]

I know that are science class will be dissecting rats. I really do hope that we can opt out. I just couldnt image doing that. Animal Cruelity and it's just plain gross. We already have diagrams, pictures, etc of various species, why do we need to do this? I would love to know if their were people out there trying to stop this practice all together, becuase I would love to help in some way.

[sweetjay6891]

Originally Posted by strigercake

Where I live, the schools still dissect frogs, worms, mice, cow's eyes and pig's eyes, and once I remember kittens when I was in school. I never did it, nor seen it.

I don't really know where they get the animals from though, but the school does give you an option to sit out with no questions asked. They just give you something else to do.

I remember i had to dissect a sheeps eye ball. i refused and protested. They didnt make anone do it after that. I got peta involved and everything. I know when the time comes, if my sisters school does this, im going to raise hell...again.

[hydrohoki]

I had to watch a cows eye and a squid. I had to "participate" in 8th grade for a worm, a fish and a frog. I turned white and almost passed out so I really got to sit outside the room for most of it. Then in college biology I had to dissect a fetal pig which was one of the worst experences of my life. My grade suffered because I couldn't make myself do it. Honestly I don't see the point unless you are going into vet school or possibly a medical field. I tried to argue that I'm a geologist and if I ever fnd a fossil that has these parts, people far more knowledgable then I am will be willing to indentify it for me. It didn't fly and that smell still haunts me. No reason a freshman/non-biology majors course needs that.

I do believe that dissections are necessary for a very small portion of careers. Virtual dissections should be used for everyone else.

[i <3 piggies]

We don't do any dissection at our schoool (uk) we have to watch our teacher. mainly its bits from slaughter houses or if my science teachers chicken died he'd dissect it and we can watch or not watch....yuckk...!

[FoolOnTheHill]

In my school (UK) people in other classes have done pigs hearts I think. We will be doing it soon. I'm not doing it, though. Apparantly we don't have to do it if we don't want to.

[fourbwabbys]

We have courses now that are either dissection or non-dissection. The non-dissection uses a computer program to teach. Unfortunately, they started to cut down on the non-dissection courses, so the courses you needed to take, you had no choice but to dissect. We recently had to do cats, but before hand I made my teacher find out in detail where the cats came from. The cats we got were all from shelters that were too over-run and had to euthanise. Instead of just disposing the bodies, they donated them for education. I still do not agree with it, but if I had no other choice, I'd rather it be this way than have them bred to be killed like many other animals are. In the past, we have dissected fetal pigs (I got to use the computer program for that one), worms, frogs and starfish.

[littlebear]

I think slowly the discection of animals for school experements are being outdated by computer programs that a school can buy for much less then always having to put a totaly new set of dead animals each year. Now days if a class has to disect animals most children have the right to refuse to do and a teacher cannot make them. I think that this went to the supreme court once because a teacher was forcing a child to do it. Anyhow when and if the disection of animals does somehow appear in my school course sometime in the future I will be sure to refuse it.

[zippysmom]

I have never heard of dissecting rodents. I have only heard of dissecting frogs (which might be an amazing experience) and most people refuse to do it. I wish it was only dissected once (if it is that necessary) and video taped so nobody else had to kill and animal.

[jackrussellgirl]

Yes it is still a method of teaching in school but many schools now give the option of sitting out for that day. I'm currently going to school to be a vet tech and we are disecting cats, sheep brains, and cow eyes. The sheep and cow parts are parts that would normally be thrown out but a combany buys them and preserves them. The cats come from a company that takes donated cats that have already dies and preserves them. My school makes it a point to only buy from this company because they do not raise cats for the pourpose of disecting them. The owners of these cats has donated their body to science and knows what is going to happen to them.
I know I'm probably going to be chewed out for this but I find the disection very interesting. (Even thought it stinks to high heavan!) The only downside I see is that my tolerence for watching other people eat meat has dropped conciderably.

[bunnydude]

My AP Biology class will be dissecting cats in March, but you are allowed to opt out without any punishment. Those who opt out will do a computer-based "dissection" and take the same written test as those who complete the actual dissection. I'm still undecided, but I still have many months to think it over.

[Ruftybear]

If the computerised option is so good that it can be considered a viable option, then I can't understand why schools would need to do the 'real version' at all.

I can understand why people training to be Vets, Doctors etc would need to do it, but the lack of compassion and respect for the animals shown when I was at school, was really distressing to me. It still upsets me now, and that was something like 20 years ago. That is why I asked whether it was still happening now.

[Pigglewigs]

I agree with jackrussellgirl. I did quite a lot of dissection as part of my study and found it incredibly interesting.