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Dissection Alternatives Essay

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Dissection Alternatives

Dissection in science classrooms is an experience that almost every student has to go through, but one that many will regret. It is estimated that six million vertebrate animals are dissected in high schools each year, and another 5.7 million are used in college laboratories. The issue of educational dissection has become a national concern. Many groups such as PETA and The Humane Society have been lobbying for years to outlaw such practices, and implement new and safe dissection alternatives. Alternatives to dissection have become more popular in recent decades and may be the future of modern science and education.

A dissection alternative is defined as an educational aid or teaching approach that replaces …show more content…

They ruled that under her First Amendment rights Jennifer could object to the dissection on moral grounds, and therefore could not be forced to participate. Jennifer’s high school then instated a student choice policy so that students who chose not to participate in dissections would be offered a viable alternative. Now there are seven states that have informed consent laws regarding classroom dissection: Florida, California, Maine, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Rhode Island, and New York. These laws require that students must be informed of a dissection lab at the beginning of a course, and if they wish, will be provided with an alternative. There are also two states where it is mandatory that students are provided with dissection alternatives: Maryland, and Illinois.

There are also several nations that have banned educational dissection from their science curriculums. Argentina was the first in 1987, followed by Slovakia (1994), and Israel (1999). And in 2001, India banned the use of mice, rats, and frogs for any type of dissection purposes.

The main issue with statewide dissection laws is that they only apply to elementary, middle, and high schools. Colleges and Universities are not required to follow each state’s policy. This can create many problems. At one particular University, the student choice policy for dissection may very from department to department or even from teacher to teacher. This can be very confusing and

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