| Media NEWS
RELEASE For Immediate Release: January 21, 2004
Contact:
Richard
H. Schwartz, President of the Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA)
[email protected]
Phone: (718) 761-5876 JEWISH GROUPS
URGE END TO DISSECTION AT JEWISH SCHOOLS
The Jewish
Vegetarians of North America (JVNA) urges Jewish schools to end dissection as
a learning tool. According
to Judaism, animals are part of God's creation and people have special responsibilities
to them. The Jewish tradition clearly indicates that Jews are forbidden to be
cruel to animals and are to treat them with compassion. These concepts are summarized
in the Hebrew phrase tsa'ar ba'alei chayim, the Torah mandate not to cause "pain
to any living creature."
While Judaism teaches that people are
more important than animals, animals may not be harmed or killed, unless it is
to meet an essential human need, and there is no other readily available means
to meet that need. Hence, hunting for sport is forbidden by Judaism, because no
essential human need is met by the killing of an animal. As
Rabbi David Sears points out in his book "The Vision of Eden: Animal Welfare
and Vegetarianism in Jewish Law and Mysticism," animals may not be exploited
to serve every human whim, or simply to satisfy intellectual curiosity, but only
to contribute to the betterment of human life. Thus, vivisection as part of an
educational curriculum is forbidden. He cites the following sources for his conclusion:
Teshuvos
Issur V'Heter, 59:36; Rama on Shulchan Aruch, Even HaEzer 5:14; Shevus Yaakov,
III, no. 71; Teshuvos Imrei Shefer, 34:1; Chelkas Yaakov, 1:30-31; also note R.
Yoel Schwartz, V'Rachamav Al Kol Maasav, p. 56, s.v. limud.
In his article, "Animal Experimentation: The Jewish View," Dr. Fred
Rosner, an expert on Jewish medical ethics, states: "animal experimentation
is permissible by Jewish law only if its purpose is to obtain practical benefits
to mankind and not to simply satisfy intellectual curiosity. Furthermore, if alternative
means, for example, tissue culture studies, of obtaining the same information
are available, animal experimentation might be categorized as unnecessary cruelty
to animals and be prohibited." Among the alternatives
to dissection are multimedia computer simulations, models and simulators, films
and videos, and demonstrations. The advantages of alternatives have led to their
increasingly widespread adoption. The advantages (much initially compiled by the
American anti-Vivisection Society (AAVS)) include: Better
science education
Research has shown that students learn as well if not
better when they use an alternative method, such as a computer CD-ROM. Students
can use an alternative during a lab exercise and later for review purposes. This
ability to repeat the lab is an effective pedagogical tool that animal labs cannot
offer. Oftentimes an alternative has a testing section; thereby reinforcing the
lessons learned. Some alternatives, like Duncan Software's DryLab series, even
have the ability to be tailored to the discretion of the educator. The newer alternative
methods have truly transformed science teaching, making the alternative method,
the pedagogically better option for improved science education. Dr. David Wiebers
of the Mayo Clinic stated, "I have come to the conclusion that killing and
dissecting animals is not only unnecessary but also counterproductive in the training
of physicians and scientists." Financial savings
Buying animals year after year costs far more than purchasing software which will
last several years. Thus, educators can save large amounts of money by purchasing
alternative methods rather than using animals. Ethical
Every year, millions of animals are dissected in schools and universities.
Species used include cats, frogs, fetal pigs, grasshoppers, mink, earthworms,
rats, mice, dogs, pigeons, turtles, and many more. Most of these animals suffer
during capture, handling, transport, and killing for educational use. While some
are purchased as dead specimens, many are subjected to painful and lethal procedures
while still alive. Hence, educators have increasingly begun to question the value
of this use of animals.
Many educators understand that there is also an important
lesson taught when not using real animals; students learn to respect living beings
and begin to appreciate and understand the role of animals in nature. Dissection
is a desensitizing experience for many students. It can be perceived as condoning
violence. Sensitive students feel that It is not moral to harm animals when there
is no compelling reason and when alternative activities can teach the same content
and skills. A large body of research shows that children's attitudes toward animals
strongly affect their capacity for compassion toward people. Environmental
Not only does dissection take the life of sentient beings, it often causes ecosystem
disruption because dealer remove animals such as sharks and frogs from the wild. Students'
health
Most dissection specimens that come from biological supply companies
are preserved with a carcinogenic formaldehyde derivative called formalin. While
the chemicals in which these specimens are preserved are marketed under names
that evoke safety, they are still a health hazard, especially for students with
asthma or lung ailments. Alternative methods do not require harmful chemicals.
With alternative methods educators can breathe easy, knowing that their students
are learning without inhaling toxic substances. Computer programmers
have developed exciting, interactive CD-ROM software applications that fully engage
and educate today's science students. One such program is the award-winning Digital
Frog 2. It allows students to "dissect" a computer-generated frog with
a "digital scalpel." Animations, quizzes, and movies help make biology
fun for students. They can investigate the structure and function of anatomy at
their own pace and are able to repeat the dissection as many times as needed in
order to fully understand each lesson without the ethical dilemmas and messy distractions
of dissections. Many students indicate that they have avoided
advanced biology courses or a career in the sciences because of their objection
to dissection labs. However, changes are rapidly occurring, recently. The number
of U.S. medical schools that have dropped live animal laboratories from their
curricula in favor of high-tech, humane, and cost-effective teaching methods,
has increased to an overwhelming majority. This radical shift has enabled many
compassionate students to return to medicine and other areas of scientific study.
Among the many U.S. medical schools that use only nonanimal
methods to train doctors are: Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University,
Baylor College of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Columbia University
College of Physicians and Surgeons, Dartmouth Medical School, Duke University
School of Medicine, Emory, George Washington University School of Medicine and
Health Sciences, Harvard Medical School, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine,
New York University School of Medicine, Northwestern University Medical School,
Illinois University School of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine
Sciences, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, and Yale University School
of Medicine. Further information about alternatives to dissection
can be found from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (www.pcrm.org),
The American Anti-Vivisection Committee (www.aavs.org/home.html), the National
Anti-Vivisection Society (www.navs.org), and several other groups.
In summary, the use of dissection at Jewish schools is inconsistent with Jewish
teachings. So, all dissection at Jewish schools should be ended, and one or more
of the many effective alternatives should be used. We hope
that there will soon be an end to the dissection of animals at Jewish schools
and extensive, respectful discussions and debates in the Jewish community on Jewish
teachings on the proper treatment of animals.
===================================
Further information on Jewish views on animals and related
issues may be obtained from the following groups:
1. The Jewish Vegetarians
of North America (JVNA) jewishveg.com 2.
Jews for Animal Rights (JAR) www.micahbooks.com 3.
CHAI (Concern for Helping Animals in Israel) www.chai-online.org 4.
International Jewish Vegetarian Society (IJVS) www.ivu.org/jvs/ Significant
background books include: Kalechofsky, Roberta. Judaism and
Animals Rights -- Classical and Contemporary Responses. Marblehead, Massachusetts:
Micah publications, 1992. Schwartz, Richard. Judaism and Vegetarianism.
New York: Lantern, 2001 Sears, David. The Vision of Eden: Animal
Welfare and Vegetarianism in Jewish Law and Mysticism. Spring Valley, NY: Orot,
2003. ###Jewish Vegetarians
of North America represents a broad coalition of rabbis, scholars, experts, and
active members of the Jewish community in advocating vegetarianism as a Jewish
ideal. | 
