Make animal dissection a choice, school board told

Woman says students may feel forced to cut up animals, insects when they oppose it

The Vancouver Sun
Jan 12, 2005
By Janet Steffenhagen

Students who care about animals should have the right to say no when teachers invite them to dissect frogs, pigs or even grasshoppers, says a Vancouver woman lobbying for a “student choice” policy.

Lesley Fox will make her case to school trustees today, arguing that the lack of policy in Vancouver and other school districts means students may fell compelled to cut up animals and insects even when they oppose the practice for moral or religious reasons.

She acknowledged that teachers often excuse those who are clearly distressed at the prospect of dissection, but said she believes many other students participate because they feel they don’t have a choice.

Fox wants Vancouver to become the first major city in Canada to develop a policy that guarantees students a choice between dissection and an alternative, such as using plastic models or CD-ROMSs featuring virtual dissections.

“Dissection is simply inappropriate for many students because they have deeply held feelings of compassion and respect for animals,” she says in her submission to trustees.

“There is also a growing objection to the cruelty involved in raising and killing animals for dissection.”

Fox, who attended school in Ontario, said she well remembers her feelings of revulsion a decade ago in Grade 11 when asked to dissect a pig fetus and again in Grade 12 when frogs were dissected.

“I remember felling absolutely horrid, and I felt guilty. I didn’t feel that I could talk to my teacher, because she seemed to be in favour of it.  For her it was no big deal,” Fox said in an interview this week.

“In the pit of my stomach I knew it was wrong, but I didn’t say anything.”

A student-choice policy would empower students to speak out and ensure they don’t have to compromise their values, she said, adding it might also keep students who love animals interested in science.

Green trustee Andrea Reimer, who has helped Fox bring her proposal forward, says she has heard concerns about dissection in talking with students about their educational experience.

“That comes up with some frequency,” she noted.

Although Reimer hasn’t decided whether she will vote in favour of a student choice policy, she said she is leaning in that direction but wants to hear the pros and cons before making a decision.

“High school is a time when students are developing values…and it’s worth having the discussion,” she said.   “If we’re talking about student-centred education, this is an important component.”

Fox, who is promoting the issue on her website (frogsarecool.com), said some people argue that dissections are necessary for students who want to study medicine, but they would make up only a small fraction of every high school class.

Furthermore, she noted, medical schools in universities are also reducing their use of animals.