219 Dissection in the Classroom (Part 2): More Vegan than Vegan

In part 2, we finish up our dissection in the classroom discussion by reviewing past and present-day legislation around students’ options for alternatives to dissection, what those are alternatives are and reasons that dissection persists in public education. We also take a long segment in the middle to talk about media we’re watching (Shrill and For The People)!

In This Episode

News

* Gov. Gavin Newsom Suspends Death Penalty In California (NPR)* Senate passes resolution to overturn Trump’s national emergency declaration (CNN)* Trump Issues First Veto After Congress Rejects Border Emergency (NY Times)* Gordon Ramsay Just Told Piers Morgan To “Go F*ck Yourself” After Criticism Over His New Vegan Menu (Delish)

Joke in the Middle

Steak puns are a medium….

Main Topic

Thanks again to Kirstie for her phenomenal research on this topic!!!

In part 2 we talk about the first (U.S.) legislation in California that was established around students’ rights to dissection alternatives and then what the broader laws around it are today, what they are doing in other countries, why teachers are so adamant about continuing this brutal and unnecessary tradition, and what the future holds (spoiler alert: it’s a shrug emoji).

Listen to part 1 for info on the prevalence of dissection, where the animals come from and what students think about it!

Resources Referenced for this Episode

* Jenifer Graham: The First Student to Legally Take on Dissection & Students’ Rights (PDF) | Animals Learn* Student Choice Laws | American Anti-Vivisection Society * Science teachers and the dissection debate: Perspectives on animal dissection and alternatives (PDF) | International Journal of Environmental & Science Education* Instructors Reconsider Dissection’s Role In Biology Classes | The Scientist* The public dissection of a zoo’s lion is essential viewing for meat-eaters | The Guardian* Animals ‘live a good life’ at Copenhagen zoo, where culling comes naturally | The Guardian