I originally got involved with animal rights when I was in 8th grade and it came time to dissect a frog for biology class. I didn't want to for a lot of reasons, the biggest one being though that I didn't think it should be necessary. Not because I didn't want to learn the subject as my teacher assumed, but because I did not think a frog should have to die for me to learn. This of course presented a major issue for me in this class. The teacher had several dissections lined up for the year. Not just a frog, but a shark, a fetal pig, a sheep brain, earthworms and several others. For me that meant that at least one of each of those animals would have to die for me to participate. I also knew that given that there were a minimum of 18 animals per class and this teacher taught 6 classes a day. Over a hundred animals would be put to death and born only to be put to death for each lesson, I was supposed to learn. And that was just at one school, in one city. This couldn't possibly be fair. I talked to the teacher and was told that my choices were to participate with the in class activities or take an F; for each lesson, giving me at best a low C in the class if I got 100% on every test and every other activity. I talked to my mom about this and together we found several resources, also alternative activities that perhaps I could do instead, even computer software that would teach me the same thing. I am one of several students that have taken this route as an alternative to dissection. This crusade started my interest in animal rights and it hasn't wavered since. I am under the firm belief that given today's technology, the research that has already been done and the resources available, no animals should be harmed or used for testing products. Did you know certain cosmetic companies use bunnies to test mascara? The put the rabbit into a sort of gallows. A piece of wood really with a hole carved into the center for the rabbit's head. They trap the rabbit into this contraption a put mascara (along with many many many other household products) directly into the rabbit's eyes. The rabbit eventually may thrash itself to the point that it has beaten itself to death. I ask you is this really fair? If you agree with me that its not, if you are as outraged as I am, the sites below will give you more information and further resources.
Animal
rights sites
If you have other sites that you would
like to see here, please
email me.
Other animal sites.........
Thank
you Michael for all your help!
