Have you ever had to dissect an animal? I firmly believe that all schools should stop the use of dissection  in the classroom. Not only is it cruel to animals, but it is also expensive, teaches kids that animal’s lives have little importance, and completely unnecessary, considering that there are other options out there. 

First off, dissection involves the cruel and unnecessary killing of millions of animals. Over 12 million animals are cruelly killed for dissection each year in the United States alone. Some animals are raised and killed just for dissection. (2) What makes it moral to kill animals for dissection? Well the answer is, nothing does. We don’t kill humans for dissection to teach students in medical school, but yet we still have learned tons about the human body. We shouldn’t contribute to the unnecessary suffering and killing of animals for dissection.

Another reason why schools should stop dissection, is because there are various other options. There are online simulations that show practically  everything the real thing could, but without causing harm to animal. Online simulations are also less expensive overall, after the original investment. If schools used online dissection simulations and other resources it would cost a lot less money in the long run than dissection.(1) Another source says “Studies show that students who utilize humane dissection alternatives, such as models and computer software, score as well or better on performance tests than students who participate in dissection.”(2) This shows that there is no reason not to switch to the use of online dissection. The same source also says that there are no requirements to dissect animals, so schools can choose to simply not participate in dissection.

The next reason why schools should stop using dissection is because it teaches students that animals lives have little importance. It also teaches them that testing on and abusing animals is ethical, which is never the case. Traditional dissection implies that cutting open animals is “fun”, which is exploiting them. (2) It also deters some students from pursuing a science career. For many, it simply doesn't make sense to kill animals in the process of learning how to save  them. This applies to many careers such as a veterinarian, zoologist, and a biologist. 

The final reason I am going to talk about, is that dissection is horrible for the environment. One source states “The collection of frogs to be used as dissection specimens has depleted many local populations, leading some areas to outlaw their commercial harvesting. Chemicals used to preserve biological specimens also risk ending up in our nation’s ground and waterways following their disposal.” This shows how negatively dissection affects the environment. Also, when animals are raised just to be killed for dissection, it uses a lot of resources that could be used in  more beneficial ways.

In conclusion, there is no reason to continue using dissection in school. It's completely cruel and unnecessary. Please do what you can do to stop dissection, you’ll be saving lives, the environment, money, and helping students appreciate animal life rather than exploiting it. Thank you for reading, please sign the petition to help end/decrease the use of dissection.

Sources

https://headlines.peta.org/teachkind-dissection-feature/ - PETA

https://navs.org/key-issues/waste-and-cruelty-of-dissection/ - NAVS

https://navs.org/five-reasons-to-end-animal-testing/ - NAVS

*The number(s) in parenthesis is the source(s) the information was found out of. So (2) would be the second source on the list.