The Problem with Dissection and Vivisection

In this article by the American Anti-Vivisection Society (AAVS) they plead that millions of animals are used by schools in the dissection of animals. The animals are dead when brought to the facilities that use them, but the AAVS states that prior to death, they are treated in unfair and inhumane ways. They are pushing less for the use of animals and more for utilizing modern technology due to the fact that dissections promote, "Desensitization towards animal suffering." and that,"The purchase of cadavers for dissection creates another demand for these cruel industries." The AAVS also states that a majority (about 6 million) of the vertebrate used for dissection are pulled from the wild in legal and illegal ways.

In my opinion this article has some very good points, as in using modern technology for dissections, especially if some students are not comfortable with the fact that they are going to be opening up a once-living animal. But the bad points seem to outweigh the good. If classroom dissections were to stop, then a whole base of knowledge would be missing from education. If someone is going to go into the medical field, veterinary or for humans, then dissections in the class is a solid base to have. I don't believe that it promotes the desensitization of animal suffering because they are already dead, they can't feel what's going on, and in most cases, the animals where probably taken from kill shelters





http://www.aavs.org/site/c.bkLTKfOSLhK6E/b.6457887/k.238F/Dissection.htm