Health reasons to oppose dissecting animals in schools

Vox Pop

Micheal Riegert hit the nail right on the head. Medford school district needs to come out of the Dark Ages and update its curriculum. Dissecting animals is unhealthy for kids and the environment.

Aside from the valid points he made, about students learning from humane non lethal methods, at a cheaper cost to the school district, think about the chemicals that are used to preserve the animal they dissect. Think of the thousands of boxes which are encased with carcinogens/dead animals and then are delivered to thousands of schools in the US. When they outlive their “usefulness” the boxes of chemicals are dumped into our landfills.

Formaldehyde, is a carcinogenic to humans. Children exposed to the same levels of formaldehyde as adults may receive larger doses, because they have greater lung surface area, and body weight ratios.

When I was doing a presentation about humane alternatives to vivisection, I used a large scale frog with attachable body parts. The kids who had previously dissected a frog felt, they learned more from my presentation then from their teacher.

Several of the parents remarked, that their children were asthmatic and were not able to fully participate in the school experiments due to being exposed to formaldehyde and the chemicals that the animals are preserved in.

Kids being kids, made fun of their fellow students, that were wheezing and coughing and had to leave the room. Because their children couldn’t fully participate in the school experiments, parents felt their children were isolated and were given a lesser grade.

If you want change, it’s going to be students and their parents that are going to make the change.

In a world full of obstacles, we feel isolated and shamed for standing up for the health of our children. I want students to know that they don’t have to be exposed to chemicals needlessly and there are humane, non toxic alternatives to learning.

In conclusion, the companies that profit from the death of animals are responsible for millions of animals that are tortured needlessly. Remember, that you as a tax payer are paying for all this. Teachers and school board members need to listen to your concerns and adapt to new ways of learning that are healthier for your children. I urge you to take the generous offer Mr. Riegert made to provide you with a $350 synthetic cadaver at no cost to taxpayers.

The truth wins if we are all brave enough to tell the truth!

Humanly yours. — Kathalin Tuisl, Sheldon