Please sign this petition to urge George Washington University to allow students to opt out of animal dissection!
We, the undersigned, recognize that students should never be forced to participate in something that goes against their beliefs. We insist that all students be allowed to choose not to participate in classroom exercises that are harmful to animals, in particular, dissections. All students who are not pursuing a degree in biology and therefore are in non-major biology courses must be given the option to use humane alternatives such as virtual lab programs and must never be penalized for choosing these alternatives.
The additional stress caused by mandatory dissection is unnecessary and preventable. Traumatizing students by forcing them to use animals in a way that the student objects to for any reason is greatly unethical and dishonorable.
With this petition, we are calling for an opt-out policy to be put in place at The George Washington University for students enrolled in any and all non-major biology courses that have dissection built into the curriculum. Many alternatives to live dissections are available, such as a virtual lab that will provide for comparable education of key points as well as increased experience as some programs have the ability to show continuous processes such as a beating heart – something live dissections cannot provide for the student.
Please sign this petition to urge George Washington University to allow students to opt out of animal dissection!
