Cut Out Dissection: Urge Australian Universities to Catch Up with Other Countries

Animals are not used at all in the vast majority of US medical schools, including Harvard, Yale and Stanford. And no medical school in Canada uses animals to train medical students.

Not so in Australia, where millions of animals—frogs, cats, rats, mice, fetal pigs, fish, and more—are killed for classroom dissection. Some animals come from breeding facilities and other animals are caught in the wild.

PETA and our international affiliates have worked with university students across the country to demand an end to the cruel use of animals in teaching, and offering sophisticated anatomy software to replace dissection.

But some universities have refused to even meet with students to discuss these alternatives. When people cling to crude animal tests and exercises and refuse to look to modern methods in use at institutions around the world, animals suffer and die and scientific and social progress is hampered.

The federal government is spending funds to encourage young people to get involved in science, but dissection turns bright, compassionate students away from such coursework.

In addition, studies suggest that exposing young people to animal dissection as “science” can foster a callousness toward animals and even dissuade some from pursuing careers in science.

Let’s demand kinder ways of educating young Australians.

Please urge the Minister of Education and Training to encourage universities to completely replace dissection with modern anatomy software and other non-animal methods.

You may use the provided text, but your message will carry more weight if you write your own customised message and subject line. Personalised letters always work best.

The Honourable
Dan
Tehan
Department of Education

Take Action Now

Fields with an asterisk(*) are required.​

Sign up for e-mail including: