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[EDIT; 3-14-2007]: After thinking long and hard, I decided to go through with the dissection after all, because I felt it was a necessary experience if I wanted to pursue my dream of being a veterinarian or veterinary assistant. The dissection took place a few months ago, and I'm sorry I did not update until now. School has kept me busy, unfortunately. =/ I passed Biology with a 90 last semester and am now taking other science courses to continue reaching for my dreams. =)

Several months in the future when I'm in a new grade and taking biology, this is bound show up at some point.

I haven't yet decided what I'm going to do about it, but I still have awhile to think of something. I'm completely against it, but I'm afraid my softspoken personality will prevent me from speaking up, especially since I'm the only vegetarian/animal rights advocate in school.

My questions to all of you are:

arrow Did you refuse to dissect animals in biology?

arrow If you did refuse, did you try suggesting alternatives and succeed?

arrow If you haven't taken biology, do you plan on refusing to dissect when the time comes?

arrow Are you completely against dissection, only against certain animals being dissected (example: you'd dissect a worm but not a frog, cat, etc) or not against dissection at all?

EDIT:: I am only completely against dissection if the animals were killed for the purpose of being sent to science classes. I will be more open to dissection if the animals died naturally..though I now know there's really no way to prove that.

Haha, me too.

At our school, biology classes dissect cats. Cats are my favorite animals, so I'm going to find a way to refuse one way or the other.

The administration assures the students they've died of natural causes. Even so, I wouldn't want my body cut up in some class, especially when I didn't ask to be dismembered after death. : P

Nooo! Poor kitties. What I would do is... I would go to class, take the cat, then run out of the classroom and out of the school and bury it. biggrin

I'm sure the kitties will find some way to repay me, eh? wink

I'll definitely research that frog-free frog dissection site you were talking about. Sounds like a useful alternative. biggrin

I don't think I'd go so far as to file a lawsuit because I can't use religion as my reason for refusing. One of the main reasons I'm worried is that I'm in mostly honors classes, so if the school refuses any alternatives I might suggest, I'll be faced with a decision of failing a class, ruining my GPA and significantly lowering my chances of becoming a vet, or going against my beliefs to pass.

Answers, In order.

1) My biology class is too poor to afford animals to dissect. (lucky me heart ) We do however, conduct expimnts with animal proucs (like lard mad ) I refused, claiming that I found it immoral and against my religon, at wich the teacher agreed to just let me watch and answer qestions. (Im UU by religion, and so we get to believe whatever we wish in the confines of our Seven Principals, one of which is "Respect for the interdependant web of all existance", thus getting me off the hook biggrin )

2) I believe I wrote the answer to this as best I could above.

3) As I said, Im in biology, and did refuse, on religious grounds (what the school considers valid or else I never would have brought religion into it, Id much rather it stay away from my education, but whatever it takes...) the expiriments most close to dissections.

4) I am against dissection in all its forms, yet I still would feel worse over the life of a frog than over the life of a worm. If I had to choose between the choices given, and had to dissect, I would do the worm, but only out of necessity.

I can see why you would be against it, and I love my kitties too, but remember that it's necessary to learn.

To learn more about the human body, we dissect people too, eh? The local university here has a hard time getting body donars for the med students and scientists to look at. Now, when they look at the human body that way, the med students learn more, and we get advances in medicine that more than make up for the desecration of the bodies. Dissecting animals is no different (aside from the fact that you can't get their consent, but we don't have their consent to put a collar/leash on them, or bring them to the vet, either), so I hope that you're not morally against dissections, at least in the case of animals that have died naturally.

That being said, I hated doing dissections, but it was more the smell of preservative chemicals, but we only did giant grasshoppers, cutting up a cat would make me feel awful (biology isn't required here, I took physics instead).

You would be a terrible vet if you never do dissections. There is no better way to learn! Remember that being a vet involves cutting up animals to do surgeries, removing claws, removing reproductive organs (very invasive for females), as well as euthanizing, so you might want to rethink your career if you're too against any of these to do them.


Oh, and:
Did you refuse to dissect animals in biology?
No. It was just a grasshopper, though.

If you haven't taken biology, do you plan on refusing to dissect when the time comes?
Not taking biology.
Are you completely against dissection, only against certain animals being dissected (example: you'd dissect a worm but not a frog, cat, etc) or not against dissection at all?
I'm pro-dissecting, I just would rather someone else did the dissecting. I'm just too squeamish, you know?

All of you have made interesting points. In my first post, I stated I was completely against dissection. That is true in most aspects. However, I will be more willing to dissect animals that have died from natural causes instead of ones that are taken from their homes and then killed.

I agree especially with the statements of Afflaetus, Pippistrella, and Ailinea. You guys are right in pointing out that hands-on experience is essential if I want to be successful in pursuing my veterinary career. Thanks to all 3 of you for bringing that up.

I appreciate everyone's input so far. heart