Animal Rights/Dissection Debate

[Ragnarok]

I'm against the abuse of animals used as specimens for dissection. I'm also against testing chemicals on animals to make cosmetics (make-up, hair products etc..) Here is an essay I wrote for school....

To dissect or object?, that is the question. It is a question of conscience. Alternatives to dissection should be available to students. Millions of animals are killed each year to be dissected for educational experiments. Dissection was thought to be a good learning tool in the study of anatomy, physiology and evolution when it was first introduced in the 1920's. More sophisticated teaching methods have been developed since. Today, these alternative methods can replace dissection and save the lives of many animals.

Many animals are subjected to suffering in the process of becoming dissection specimens. During the last decade, a national animal rights group called People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) was able to go undercover into the nations largest animal supply house, Carolina Biological Supply Company (CBSC). CBSC, known to employees as "Satan's Pit", at the time filled up to three thousand orders for specimens per day. Jobs there included stretching worms, cutting the heads off dead dogs, drowning frogs and snakes in alcohol, gassing cats and rats and then hooking them up to the formaldehyde machine, sometimes while still alive. There were many reports of employees purposefully terrorizing the frightened, trapped animals waiting to die. The report detailed sickening accounts of desperate dogs, rabbits, rats attempting to climb out of dead piles and how these incidents were handled.

Students have a right to have their feelings and beliefs respected. Some students find dissection objectionable and even repulsive. Demanding it as a course requirement can thwart a student's interest and enthusiasm for the course. If a strong objection to dissection exists, it is not fair to expect a student to either participate in it or drop the class. Observing the dissection and being made to take a test using dissected specimens are not acceptable alternatives for many students.

Alternatives to dissection can include writing a detailed paper, using a computer simulation, preparing anatomical charts or studying diagrams, videos, or models. A student shouldn't be penalized for his ethical beliefs. Many schools allow alternatives to dissection, and five states have passed laws protecting the student's right to a humane alternative.

The desensitizing effect of mutilating and dismembering animals in the name of education is the most harmful effect of dissection. This has the most far reaching and long lasting consequences on our society. It teaches students that life is unimportant instead of promoting a respect for all life. If a child grows up oblivious to the pain and suffering inflicted on animals, a vicious cycle is created. The numbness gets passed on to each successive generation. "The greatness of a nation and it's moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." - Mahatma Gandhi