Opinion: High School Animal Dissections Should Be Banned

When I found out my freshman Biology class would be dissecting a pig, I was appalled. Not only did it sound disgusting, but it contradicted my moral values. 

The methods of obtaining animals for dissections are troubling, and the emotional impact on students is too often overlooked. With modern alternatives that are both more effective and cost-efficient, clinging to dissection in high schools is outdated and irresponsible.

Dissections at M-A take place in Biology, AP Biology, and Marine Biology. Specimens come from Carolina Biological, a company that sources animals in a variety of ways, including euthanized cats and fetal pigs from the food industry that would otherwise “be destined for the landfill.” In the 1990s, an ABC investigation found that one of Carolina Biological’s main suppliers was involved in legal troubles for animal mistreatment.

Despite M-A’s decent sourcing, the sourcing of animals for most high school dissections raises ethical and environmental concerns. 99% of dissection animals are taken from the wild, according to estimates by ethologist Dr. Jonathan Balcombe. 

Fetal pigs are removed from slaughtered pregnant sows, which many justify with the claim that fetal pigs are a byproduct of the pork industry. Dissections rely on an industry that treats animal life as expendable and has well-documented ethical concerns. “The ethics of slaughtering a pregnant pig can be an alternate discussion over the way our industrial farming practices have evolved,” Biology teacher Mark Helfenberger said.

Even taking species that are plentiful from their natural habitat can be disruptive to surrounding ecosystems and environments. Marine Biology teacher Erika Shepard recently decided to phase out dissections in her classroom for this very reason. “I made this decision based on the fact that humans are negatively impacting the ocean as a whole, and there is no way to tell if the harvesting of plentiful species is not damaging other, more unique species,” she said.

Despite ethical concerns, many teachers believe dissections are an important part of science curricula. “I am aiming for so much more than student retention and repetition of names and functions of internal organs,” Helfenberger said. He explained that the purpose of dissections in his class is also to teach responsibility and empathy. “I am teaching students maturity and responsibility by entrusting them with the care of a specimen and sharp tools,” he said.

“Most importantly to me, I am offering them opportunities they will not have the chance to do again unless they choose to pursue a career in this field later in life,” he continued.

Dissections can also cause emotional distress that can desensitize students to animal harm, reducing empathy toward living creatures. During my freshman year pig dissection, I witnessed people laughing and posting pictures of the pig as online entertainment, which, despite my moral values, I took part in at times because of how normalized the experience was. Students in AP Biology dissected cats and had similar experiences. “People were making fun of the cat, saying it was fat,” junior Millo Skhiri said. 

Witnessing violence against animals during childhood may be connected with violent acts of animal cruelty later in life, according to the National Institutes of Health. Dissections can qualify as cruelty against animals for many people. Students that are made to use animals in ways that they perceive as stressful or harmful often suffer trauma or learning loss. This alone proves that high school is not the time for these dissections, as our brains are still developing, and we are very vulnerable to distress and lasting psychological impacts. 

Similarly, dissections can violate a student’s moral beliefs. “One of my Muslim students could not dissect because of their religion,” Dr. James Murray, a Biology professor at California State University, East Bay, said. 

Some students avoid certain science classes due to their inclusion of dissections. “I’m not taking AP Biology even though I would love to take the class, specifically because I do not want to do the dissection. If the dissection didn’t exist, I would almost definitely be taking it,” sophomore Ava Glass said.

By pushing students away from taking certain science courses, dissections are effectively pushing people away from science as a whole, not just fields that require dissections. And that’s a problem—science drives innovation, shapes public health, and helps us confront global challenges like global warming, disease, and food insecurity. We should be opening doors for more students to enter the field, not scaring them away with outdated practices that don’t reflect the full scope of what science can be.

While dissections may inspire some students, early exposure to anatomy should not come at the cost of animal lives. Murray explained that sometimes he brings in live invertebrates for student observation. “In the minds of a lot of students, it’s not so bad. It’s a bug, it’s a worm,” he said. “I still think the invertebrates are inspirational.” 

Still, dissection is not the only way to help students realize their interest in scientific careers.

With modern technology, plenty of high-quality alternatives have emerged. This includes interactive virtual models, paper dissections, and 3-D models. Merge Cube uses a regular device or an optional VR headset that costs under $50 to turn a cube into an interactive 3D model explorable on-screen.

Humane alternatives provide significant savings. “Without a doubt, dissection of animal cadavers is on its way out, if for no other reason than the cost,” UC Davis Population Health and Reproduction professor Lynette Hart told AnimaLearn. Over three years, alternatives could save schools $7,510.05 on cat specimens, $2,197.30 on fetal pigs, and $1,423.60 on bullfrogs. While the study does not specify if this information applies to high schools or colleges, it explains that the costs are based on 45 animals used per year, 135 over the three-year period. With AP Biology using at least 45 cats per year, and about seven pigs used in each freshman biology class—a class required for all freshmen—M-A uses well over 45 animals a year, meaning our savings would be even greater. 

These alternatives are also reusable, making them a more sustainable option and saving more money in the long term.

Other options have been proven to be just as effective, if not more so. Studies show that 30% of students learn better with digital and 3D models, while 60% achieve the same results as they would dissecting an animal. Only 10% learn less effectively. 

“If you had asked me ten years ago, I’d say real animals are much better. But now, the alternatives are coming up really fast,” Murray said. “These alternatives are adequate for a high school level and possibly for a college level as well.”

Students who aren’t interested in dissections can still have successful scientific careers. “There are so many aspects of biology that do not require looking at the structures and functions within a body. You could study climate change impacts, population dynamics, genetics, ecology, and so much more,” Shepard said. Dissections should be left to medical school, where they will benefit those who are interested and stay away from those who are not.

Why are dissections still done in schools despite ethical concerns, emotional impact, and high costs? The idea that dissections are essential in high schools is outdated. High-tech, cruelty-free educational tools exist and are more sustainable, ethical, and cost-effective than dissections. It’s time for schools to evolve past the practice of sacrificing animals and embrace the future of ethical science education. Let’s open our minds and stop opening animals.