Animal slaughter at schools

[John Olexa]

Brutal Education – Stopping Animal Slaughter at Schools
Background:
Across California, tax dollars are being used to slaughter
animals on school property – all in the name of "education."
Students in agriculture education programs are encouraged to take
responsibility for an animal (usually a cow, pig, sheep or chicken).
After months of dedication and caring for this animal, students
watch as the animals are killed.

Problem:
Observing the slaughter of animals is a violent act that
desensitizes students to the pain and suffering of others. Educators
and child advocates contend this is an inappropriate activity and
can be traumatic for some students. Additionally, in many schools
students do not have the option to avoid participating in the
slaughter activity.

Animal Place and the Humane Society of the United States have
written a bill that would stop the slaughter of animals on school
grounds and give students the option of not participating in a
slaughter activity held off school grounds. The bill, AB1685, has
been introduced by Assemblyman Johan Klehs and can be viewed by
clicking here: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/bill/asm/ab_1651-
1700/ab_1685_bill_20050222_introduced.html

How you can help:
This bill will be heard in the Assembly Education Committee soon.
Please write a letter of support to Jackie Goldberg, Chair of the
committee and to the following committee members: Rebecca Cohn,
Manny Diaz, Bonnie Garcia, Loni Hancock, Carol Liu, Gene Mullin,
Alan Nakanishi, Fran Pavley

State Capitol
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0018
Email Addresses (sponsor, Education Committee members)
Jackie Goldberg, Chair, Assemblymember.Goldberg@assembly.ca.gov
Mark Wyland, Vice Chair, Assemblymember.Wyland@assembly.ca.gov
Rebecca Cohn Assemblymember.Cohn@assembly.ca.gov
Bonnie Garcia Assemblywoman.garcia@assembly.ca.gov
Loni Hancock Assemblymember.hancock@assembly.ca.gov
Carol Liu Assemblymember.Liu@assembly.ca.gov
Gene Mullin Assemblymember.mullin@assembly.ca.gov
Alan Nakanishi Assemblymember.nakanishi@assembly.ca.gov
Fran Pavley Assemblymember.Pavley@assembly.ca.gov
Bob Huff assemblymember.huff@assembly.ca.gov
Keith Richman Assemblymember.Richman@assembly.ca.gov

[Magnum]

This is so disturbing to me personally. When I was in college and was told I had to handle, dissect, and remove the organs of a premature piglet, in order to pass my class, I hit the roof!!! :mad: I refused to touch or be a part of the process and took it up with the Dean. The school quickly found out that I was not the only student who felt this way. I just happened to be the one that stood up against it. The syllibus provided by the professor did not state anywhere that this procedure was a part of the curriculum, but stated that the student must be able to identify the organs and describe their function. No where did it say a student must dissect a real pig or animal to pass the course.

We entered the classroom to see two 55 gallon drums filled with a formaldehyde based liquid and pigletts. Ugh, I was discusted!! I asked the professor how these pigletts were obtained. He said they kill the sow just prior to giving birth and dump the pigletts into the solution. **gasp** He then told me to take my seat and just deal with it. I dealt with it alright...I told him I refused to touch any of them and had to leave because the sight and odor were more than I could handle. He told me if I left that it would be unexcused and marked down as absent, AND I would not be able to make it up. Off to the Dean I went. After trying to bully me into continueing, I showed the Dean our syllibus and said that if the school is going to be adamant on the issue, then they must be willing to give their comments to the media on why it is necessary to force a student to touch a dead piglett in order to indentify and describe the function of the organs. He was not a happy camper, but then his little secretary came in and said there were several students wanting to see him on the same issue. YES!!!

We did not have to be in the presence of the pigletts, since it was not stated in the syllibus, and were able to continue with the course without the discusting sight of those poor piggies. Proud to say I still got an A, but I may not have if the professor took it personal. :rolleyes:

Now my major was not in Agriculture, but this is 2005 for pete's sake. Can't they come up with something that is not so violent and desensitizing?

[PentePenguin]

They should ban disecting in high schools, all it does is allow a bunch of immature teenagers to play with the organs of a deceased creature. My high scool Biology teacher even had the audacity to have us NAME our piglet prior to cutting it open. I cried and sat at my desk, refusing to participate. He hit the roof and my mother wrote a letter to the assisstant principal. I don't know what she said to him, but I didn't even have to do a make-up assignment when she got through. :) He allowed me to sit in the library (far away from class) and read or whatever. Why is it still neccessary to cut up an animal to pass a class? I can understand a cadaver for med school, they have a choice (not one I'd make, but to each his/her own). I'm seeing a rambling session coming on so I'll go now. :)
Take care,
Dawn

[Millimi]

For our school we have a program on the computer where we dissect virtual frogs. I think it's wonderful that our school went in the right direction and I hope many others follow.

[draper]

When I was in middle school I had a science class where we diesected (sp?) frogs, earthworms, fish, and I think oysters. Now, please don't jump on me, but I actually loved it, and found it interesting to see what the inside of an animal looked like. I do not remember if there was an alternative offered. However, I do realise that not everyone will enjoy it - and therefore an alternative should be allowed.

[John Olexa]

, but I actually loved it, and found it interesting to see what the inside of an animal looked like.

:( Thats what books are for

[Suzy03]

Yes, I agree, it's 2005 and there should be other ways students can learn about the inside of animals and organs. It would be nice if students could sit in on a live surgery by a vet helping an animal, instead of a dead, formyldyhyde one. That way students could get a real picture, and sense of what animals and being around animals is all about. The virtual computer sounds neat too.

[John Olexa]

I like what Millimi said about using the computer to dissect virtual frogs
What a great ideal!!

[draper]

:( Thats what books are for

Yes, if you are into that kind of thing. I learn better by hands on and actually watching/doing it then I do from reading it in a book. It is a whole different experience. I do like the idea about watching a surgery on an animal. I believe that could be just as educational as disection. Anyone ever watch Fast Times at Ridgemont High? The students in the science class had to watch an autopsy.

[Jerica]

I absolutly love animals, and i don't think highschools need to have students disect animals, but if someone is in college to become a vet tech or vet they need to be able to disect dead animals before they start doing it on live animals. It is not the same thing to use a mouse and point and click to disect the organs on a computer, nor is it the same to look at organs in a book. If a vet student is not able to disect, using tools, and identify the organs, they will not do very well when operating on a live animal. I don't know about you but I would much rather a vet student practice on a dead animal and make whatever mistakes on a dead animal than to just start knowing how to use the tools when my pet is the one they would be operating on. I will be going to college this fall to become a vet tech and I know I will have to disect dead animals, but when I get out there in the world and have to help a vet operate on someone's beloved pet, I will feel much more confident when I have practiced on a live animal. Now all of that naming and raising the animals only to kill and disect them, that is horrible and actually the young Nazis under Hitler had to raise puppies and then kill them to show they had no compassion and could kill anything, but to disect an animal that is already dead (and not named) is completely different. Although I don't like how some places obtain the dead animals, some places that supply the dead animals to vet students or other places do this humanly. I know when my highschool got piglets for biology students to disect they got them from a live sow, from what Ive heard some farmers will not let a sow have six litters of piglets so they remove them from the sow for her health. I can't be certain this is true, but it is what they told everyone. I didn't participate in this because this was for the honor students and at the time I wasn't in an honors class (though I am now). Sometimes it is necessary to disect dead animals, other times (in highschool) it is not.

[John Olexa]

Yes, if you are into that kind of thing. I learn better by hands on and actually watching/doing it then I do from reading it in a book. It is a whole different experience. I do like the idea about watching a surgery on an animal. I believe that could be just as educational as disection. Anyone ever watch Fast Times at Ridgemont High? The students in the science class had to watch an autopsy.



Just asking, not trying to sound harsh, but.....
Ok, you learned better, what became of it? I mean did you become a vet? if not what was the point of doing it?

[draper]

Just asking, not trying to sound harsh, but.....
Ok, you learned better, what became of it? I mean did you become a vet? if not what was the point of doing it?


I am no good at science, and that was the only time that it was interesting to me. While nothing really came out of what I learned during the disection, I just find it interesting. I like looking at things under a microscope, and seeing what things look like on the inside. While I would not be able to kill my keet Woodstock to see what he looks like inside, I would love to look at one of his feathers under a microscope. It is more of an interest than anything. I personally think that if I would have had paid better attention to science when I was a child, then when I hit my eighth grade science class (when I did the disection), I would have been even more into it and would have chosen a career in medicine. When I got to high school we had a science teacher that disected sharks (the smell was HORRIBLE). I guess that you think that is wrong that I am interested in something like that, but that is where we will have to agree to disagree. I have thought about becoming a vet tech, but right now I can't afford to go to school, so that thought is on hold.

[John Olexa]

No, actually I understand what your saying. I like Science too. Even had a microscope for me and my daughter. we bought slides from some company to view under the scope all kinds of thing. I even went so far as to prick my finger to get a drop of blood and but it under the scope to see what. if anything it did!

I just don't agree with disection in school for science class for no reason other then just to do it. Vet training, ok.

[Magnum]

I can undertand taking an animal or even a human that has died, for lack of better words, on it's own, but to kill them on purpose for this is totally wrong!! :mad: I had to watch a couple of human autopsies in college, one died of black lung (coal miner), and the other died in her home of alcohol poisoning. They weren't harvested purposely like animals are.

[MsLaLa]

Magnum -

Im late on this post - but I loved how you wrote ur post. I am in my last semester at college - obtaining ONLY my associates degree and in order to graduate I needed a Biology course with a lab...and I have a Liberal Arts major ..... Before registering for this class I called the Admissions office and asked if there were any dissections required and they told me no. So, I get to class the first day, and bam! low and behold on the syllabus it states that there will be two dissections - a baby piglet and a sheep heart. Now, I was MAD as heck let me tell you .... I was sooo frustrated I wanted to cry..... I e-mailed my prof. that night and she told me that fetal pigs are close to human anatomy, blah blah blah, and that I didn't have to dissect but I would have to be present to identify the organs.... Oh no this does NOT sit well with me .... I refuse to even be in the room and am still taking it up with my Dean ....

My favorite animals are pigs! I love them .... and think they are beautiful!!!! lol Anyway, I am on Spring Break this week and our last class last week, I asked how these piglets were taken and the prof. had the audacity to tell me "when the mother is slaughtered." How cruel!!!!

Long story short, I really hope that schools put an end to this "requirement" because not only is it disturbing to have to sit in a classroom while everyone is engaging in cruel treatment towards animals - but I don't see how all of this is necessary ..... ESPECIALLY when your major is not even health-related ....

[Magnum]

MsLaLa, there are many students who feel as we do. I just don't understand with the technology today they can not come up with a better solution. If students want to have "hands-on" experience, their major should have something to do with it, and not just have a basic protocal for all majors. :rolleyes: