problems with dissection...

April 26, 2000

Hi all,

I have a little problem here at my school. I want to take biology OAC

(gr.13 in Ontario) next year, because I want to go into life sciences in

university and then apply for chiropractic college. I talked to the biology

teacher, my guidance counsellor, and my principal, and they all said that

there was no option for dissection, and the G.C. said I should change my

plans for uni and give up on bio, which is one of my favourite subjects. I

dissected in gr. 11, but that was just before I turned vegan and I wasn't in

any A.R. movement. So I visited the PeTA website and the NAVS website

http://www.navs.org/ and I called them and asked about my options and they

gave me a list of CD-ROMs and life-size models (of cats) that I could use

instead. So I talked to the G.C. again today and told him about the NAVS

and all, and he said that if I want to go into chiropractic college I

*absolutely have to* dissect (on corpses). Oh, and I found out they require

one bio lab uni credit. But anyway, he also said that if I want to go into

chiropractice, I absolutely must dissect, and if I change my plans, I didn't

need to take biology. I kept telling him that I would think about uni

later, that all I wanted was to take bio OAC, but he kept insisting that if

I was going into life science I have to dissect, and that he didn't think

the science department would allow me to use a fake cat, because it's in the

curriculum. So I asked him what's the difference, lots of people are doing

it all the time everywhere, and he said, " Well, it's like attending a

calculus class in school and watching a calculus class at home in your

computer " and I sad " Well, lots of people are homeschooled too, " but he kept

insisting on the curriculum thing, that dissection was part of the

curriculum and it couldn't be changed. I also told him that I read on the

NAVS website that sope people even go through med school and vet school

without dissecting, and he said no, that I was wrong, it's absolutely

impossible to graduate from med or vet school without dissecting, and that

you wouldn't want a doctor out there who has never dissected, and I asked

" Why not, not every doctor has to cut people up " , and he said " It doesn't

matter, they all go though the same med shcool " . I hope I don't sound too

whiny. I'm going to call NAVS again and also the Chiro college, but now I'm

so confused. I'm pretty sure there is no animal dissection there, but

there's cadaver dissection and I was wondering what you guys thing about the

ethics on that. I don't really know how I feel about that and I really

wanted some insight, because if I feel it's not a good thing to do, then I

*really* have to give up chiro school Also, To get into chiro college

I'd have to have a bio lab credit, and I'm going to either York U. or U of T

and I was wondering if any of you know if they have any alternatives. The

models the NAVS offers are college level too, but if I can't even get the

school board to accept them, then I really don't know what I'm going to do

in uni.. What do I do..? Anyone? Help?

-Belle

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April 29, 2000

Belle,

I just wanted you to know that your mail hasn't gone unnoticed.

I personally have never dissected anything in my life, so I don't really have

great advice for you. If I was you I would be doing exactly what you're doing -

contacting various organizations.

I found " Dissection and Related Issues " at the HSUS site

http://www.hsus.org/programs/research/animals_education.html and there are

helpful things there like " Student/Teacher Conflict Regarding Animal Dissection "

http://www.hsus.org/programs/research/conflict.html and a " Dissection Campaign

Packet " http://www.hsus.org/programs/research/campaign_kit.html There's even a

doctor who speaks at schools about it. Maybe he'd come to Canada.

http://www.hsus.org/programs/research/speaker.html

Has anyone else been in this position? and have any advice?

> I have a little problem here at my school. I want to take biology OAC

> (gr.13 in Ontario) next year, because I want to go into life sciences in

> university and then apply for chiropractic college. I talked to the biology

> teacher, my guidance counsellor, and my principal, and they all said that

> there was no option for dissection, and the G.C. said I should change my

> plans for uni and give up on bio, which is one of my favourite subjects. I

> dissected in gr. 11, but that was just before I turned vegan and I wasn't in

> any A.R. movement. So I visited the PeTA website and the NAVS website

> http://www.navs.org/ and I called them and asked about my options and they

> gave me a list of CD-ROMs and life-size models (of cats) that I could use

> instead. So I talked to the G.C. again today and told him about the NAVS

> and all, and he said that if I want to go into chiropractic college I

> *absolutely have to* dissect (on corpses). Oh, and I found out they require

> one bio lab uni credit. But anyway, he also said that if I want to go into

> chiropractice, I absolutely must dissect, and if I change my plans, I didn't

> need to take biology. I kept telling him that I would think about uni

> later, that all I wanted was to take bio OAC, but he kept insisting that if

> I was going into life science I have to dissect, and that he didn't think

> the science department would allow me to use a fake cat, because it's in the

> curriculum. So I asked him what's the difference, lots of people are doing

> it all the time everywhere, and he said, " Well, it's like attending a

> calculus class in school and watching a calculus class at home in your

> computer " and I sad " Well, lots of people are homeschooled too, " but he kept

> insisting on the curriculum thing, that dissection was part of the

> curriculum and it couldn't be changed. I also told him that I read on the

> NAVS website that sope people even go through med school and vet school

> without dissecting, and he said no, that I was wrong, it's absolutely

> impossible to graduate from med or vet school without dissecting, and that

> you wouldn't want a doctor out there who has never dissected, and I asked

> " Why not, not every doctor has to cut people up " , and he said " It doesn't

> matter, they all go though the same med shcool " . I hope I don't sound too

> whiny. I'm going to call NAVS again and also the Chiro college, but now I'm

> so confused. I'm pretty sure there is no animal dissection there, but

> there's cadaver dissection and I was wondering what you guys thing about the

> ethics on that. I don't really know how I feel about that and I really

> wanted some insight, because if I feel it's not a good thing to do, then I

> *really* have to give up chiro school Also, To get into chiro college

> I'd have to have a bio lab credit, and I'm going to either York U. or U of T

> and I was wondering if any of you know if they have any alternatives. The

> models the NAVS offers are college level too, but if I can't even get the

> school board to accept them, then I really don't know what I'm going to do

> in uni.. What do I do..? Anyone? Help?

--

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April 29, 2000

Belle,

I wish I could help, but I don't know of any Canadian organizations. However, I

will contact the Animal Legal Defense Fund in California and see if they have

any suggestions.

I was interested by your question on the ethics of dissection of human cadavers.

I have no problem with it, because the bodies are donated by their families or

by the persons themselves. We also wait until they die of natural causes before

dissection. Compare this to other animals, who are given no choice in the

matter and murdered before their time has come.

Furthermore, dissection of human cadavers makes much more sense than dissection

of other species in the study of human medicine.

-Annie

-

anji b

Saturday, April 29, 2000 7:48 AM

Re: problems with dissection...