Help Your Students Opt Out of Animal Dissection!

Do you know a compassionate student who wants to opt out of animal dissection? Chances are, they can. Many U.S. states and Canadian provinces have a dissection-choice policy requiring teachers to provide students with a humane, non-animal alternative if requested to do so. Many teachers are already moving away from animal dissection in favor of humane options—such as synthetic animal models, interactive software, and craft projects—for ethical, environmental, pedagogical, and economic reasons.

Compassionate teachers recognize that animal dissection is archaic, dangerous, and ethically unacceptable. There are modern, animal-free alternatives, and they’re available for free through TeachKind’s pilot program!  Animal-free dissection is inclusive (because everyone can participate) and cost-effective. It’s also safe (because it doesn’t expose anyone to carcinogenic chemicals like formaldehyde) and teaches students to respect animals instead of using them as if they were unfeeling equipment.

These U.S. states and Canadian provinces have laws or policies that enforce students’ right to say NO to animal dissection:

United States

Arizona
California
Connecticut
Florida
Hawaii
Illinois
Louisiana
Maine
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington, D.C.

Canada

Alberta
British Columbia
Manitoba
New Brunswick
Newfoundland and Labrador
Northwest Territories
Nova Scotia
Ontario
Prince Edward Island
Québec
Saskatchewan
Yukon

States and Provinces Without a DCP

Even if your state or province doesn’t have a DCP, the best educators listen to students’ objections to animal dissection and understand that no one should ever be forced to violate their ethics for a grade. TeachKind Science recommends replacing all animal-based labs with humane methods, including SynFrog, eMind software, Getting Nerdy dissection kits, and the Merge Cube.

Animal dissection is unnecessary and cruel. Choose compassion and stand up for animals by choosing not to dissect them in your classroom. For more information, e-mail us at [email protected].