By Harry Guo and Brandon Nguyen
STAFF WRITERS

Students in sophomore Biology classes dissected fetal pigs to study the body systems of living organisms. According to science teacher Lindsey L’Ecuyer, classes were able to perform dissections earlier this January for the first time since 2017. Dissections had been taken out of the school curriculum over time and money concerns. Since then, various classes have made plans to dissect pigs, cats, squids, and sharks, although other classes have dissected flowers as an alternative to animals. 

According to Jennifer Rodier, another science teacher at AHS, the pig fetuses used in the sophomore classes’ dissections are sourced from a local slaughterhouse, where their mothers are used for meat and other products. These fetuses, which would not have survived without their mothers, are given to schools like AHS to be dissected instead of being thrown out. The cats usually had been living on the street before being dissected. Many of the marine animals, like the squids, are sourced from supermarkets. 

Ella Baldwin and Kaila Bloom, two sophomores at AHS, are firmly against the dissection of any animal. They also run Animal Action Club at West Middle School, a club devoted to teaching kids how to help the animals and wildlife of Andover. According to Baldwin, “dissections shouldn’t be done anymore. It doesn’t make sense. If it’s for learning opportunities, you could do the exact same thing on a computer.” As advocates for ending animal testing, they bring up the concerning amount of waste produced by animal dissections, which, according to the Humane Society of the United States, can result in up to 12 million animals killed per year. 

Bloom believes there should be more effort in educating students on how the animals are sourced, so people can be more informed about their choice to participate in dissections. “We need to be educated before we choose to do these things… these beings’ lives are being taken for our gain,” she said. Bloom proposed that everyone should use online options, such as looking at simulations or videos of others doing dissections, which would only take the life of one animal to educate an entire class. 

Even the teachers had mixed opinions about animal dissections. According to L’Ecuyer, “having an opportunity to do something that’s more real-world and less taking notes… to get in and see [what] those [organs] look like is a more meaningful experience.” She claimed that these hands-on activities can help students envision what they want to do in the future.

Alan Kalf, a Biology and Chemistry teacher at AHS, had a unique perspective on dissections in high school. “Biology is a mandatory course… not everybody will want to do a dissection so that makes me hesitant to do it,” said Kalf. “If it was an elective course like anatomy, then it’s easier because everybody has the choice to take it.”

Rodier believes dissections are worthwhile as long as students are willing to make learning experiences out of them. “Dissections in my past completely helped me understand and visualize what I was being taught out of my textbook,” said Rodier. “After I got over my own fears on the first dissection, I warmed up to the idea, and [dissections] became valuable learning experiences.”  She pointed out that there aren’t many drawbacks to performing dissections: students who are comfortable have the opportunity for a firsthand experience, and students who’d prefer not to dissect have online alternatives available. 

Despite some debate, most teachers do agree that the downsides to dissections are worth it if students can spend enough time and effort on the dissection. “When we think about ethics, we think about whether the benefits outweigh the concerns,” said L’Ecuyer. “By taking a careful, methodical teaching approach in classes and helping students get as much out of it as they can, then the benefits outweigh the concerns.”