Mission: Tell Your Teacher or Principal You’re Against Animal Dissection

Posted by Calvin on March 20, 2024

If you’re scanning the syllabus for an upcoming class, there’s one activity that can make your heart drop: animal dissection. 🤢 Why would you want to cut into a dead animal who once had thoughts, feelings, and relationships of their own? Trust us—you’re not the only one thinking this way.

Animal Dissection Is Cruel and Pointless

Ever wonder where the cats, frogs, fetal pigs, rats, rabbits, mice, and other animals used for dissection come from? There are many possibilities, and they’re all grim af. They could have been snatched from their homes in nature, bred in warehouses specifically to be killed for dissection, or cut from their mothers’ wombs in slaughterhouses.

Dissecting animals is clearly cruel—but it’s also crucial to note just how pointless it is. Animal dissection isn’t even required by any science education standards! 🤯 Teachers often just keep assigning it because it’s the way they were taught. It’s giving 19^th century.

You know what this archaic practice teaches? The mistaken belief that animals are nothing but classroom tools to be exploited. It paves the way for new generations of vivisectors who are fine with mutilating animals. 😖

Well, we’re not fine with this, and there are better ways to learn. Studies show that students do just as well or better on tests when they use humane, non-animal tools. Synthetic frogs like SynFrog, dissection simulation software like eMind, and augmented reality tools like Merge Cube are compassionate, safe, and often more cost-effective than animal dissection.

How to Make a Difference

Let’s be real: Animal dissection is terrible for everyone. Sentient beings deserve their freedom, your school deserves cost-effective lessons, and you and other students deserve a top-tier cruelty-free education. 👏 If your class—or any class offered by your school—will be dissecting animals this year, here’s how you can save lives and make sure you won’t be cutting into corpses:

1. Write an e-mail or a letter to your teacher or principal requesting humane options instead of animal dissection. You can use the sample letter below, but be sure to personalize it for your school and specific circumstances.

Dear Mr./Ms./Dr. Last Name of Teacher or Principal:

I’m enrolled in Class Name.

I’ve just learned that students will be expected to participate in animal dissection for our coursework. Because of my sincerely held moral beliefs against harming animals, I am politely refusing to participate in this activity and would like to request an educationally equivalent humane assignment.

Each year, millions of frogs, rats, fish, and other animals suffer and are killed for dissection. They’re bred in warehouses, snatched from their homes in nature, or even taken from animal shelters before they end up on the dissection tray. Their suffering during capture, transport, warehousing, and slaughter is significant.

I respectfully request that, consistent with the guidance of leading science education organizations, you provide me with an alternative that does not involve dissecting or experimenting on any animal, living or dead. Studies have shown that using computer programs, models, and other non-animal alternatives can teach students just as well as (or better than) animal dissection. Virtual dissection options also save schools money because they can be used over and over again and can often be obtained at no charge from humane education organizations. Some are even available online for free.

I would like to meet with you so that we can discuss this matter further. I propose that our school consider eliminating dissection altogether. Please contact me at your e-mail address and let me know your availability.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Your Name

2. Take a pic of your letter, sign in to your peta2 account, and submit the pic for 25 peta2 points in our rewards program.