Yuku free message boards

I love your user name! You must love cats, dogs, and birds.

Many years ago when I was a middle grade student, several of us (girls and boys) protested the dissection of frogs, earthworms, and cockroaches. I'm speaking of over 40 years ago. It stirred up quite an uproar until our parents intervened; then the entire attitude of the faculty changed. We were given extra assignments to do in place of dissecting. In those days it was simply learning animal parts and their functions from black and white diagrams, but it was exactly enough information to learn what the one who dissected did. I passed my dissection test with flying colors and made an 3.8 average for the year in that course.

Today, more and more students are protesting from elementary to graduate school students. Even veterinary colleges are doing away with dissection. There's just too many alternatives to animal dissection these days. But until you and your parents protest, there won't be a change. To change, one must take action.

Thanks to the efforts of HSUS, even the USDA has taken part in letting people know that there ARE dissection alternatives. It's a great article they have on their web site:

http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/newsletters/v11n1/11n1HELP.htm

Good luck and again, welcome to the board. Hope to hear more about yourself and any pets you may have.

Shewolf! How nice of you to join us at FF&F.

I live in Louisiana and know for a fact that LSU Baton Rouge, Shreveport, and Alexandria use shelter animals and "puppy" mill animals (which includes kittens, cats, dogs, birds, ferrets, mice - any animal sold for PROFIT) for dissection. Cats and dogs are sold to the universities for as little as $25 per animal. With so many grade, middle, high schools and universities, including vet schools, proclaiming that dissection is totally unnecessary and inhumane, there is simply no excuse for this type of animal cruelty.

"Animal abuse at biological supply companies has been documented by undercover investigations. Because of the advances in technology (especially in the realms of computers and video imaging) and the need to encourage students to want to utilize this technology, ... dissection is outdated and obsolete. Dissection teaches some children that humans need not respect other forms of life on this planet. ... this can lead to desensitization, less compassion, and potentially more violence." Source: Ethical Science and Education Coalition (ESEC), the educational affiliate of the New England Anti-Vivisection Society (NEAVS).

In today's world, human cadavers are donors. They have donated their bodies to science. Most states show on a person's drivers license whether a person has donated their body to science. Animals don't have that choice. It's up to us humans to provide them a voice and give them the respect and dignity all living beings deserve.