Better Science VI. ALTERNATIVES AND EDUCATION Because educational demonstrations and laboratory sessions are characterized by repetitive exposure to existing knowledge, they represent the ideal situation for the application of replacement alternatives. For this reason the "alternatives approach" to education in the biomedical sciences has had its most widespread success in primary, secondary, undergraduate and graduate/professional curricula. There is no longer any valid educational or scientific justification for the continued use of animals to acquire either basic knowledge or practice manual skills. In the1990's NEAVS' educational affiliate, The Ethical Science and Education Coalition, published one of the first resources on available alternatives appropriate to middle and high school level life science classes. NEAVS has also been a major funder of From Guinea Pig to Computer Mouse, second edition (2002) - an exhaustive resource of alternatives appropriate for college, university and professional school levels. Compiled and published by the International Network for Humane Education (InterNICHE), it lists more than 500 alternatives and is available in several languages. For more than a century it has been illegal in the United Kingdom to use animals for such basic educational purposes. When this law was revised in the 1980s (after more than 100 years of successful application to classrooms), only one exception was allowed (microsurgery practice) for which appropriate replacement alternatives are now available. Comparative studies of basic knowledge and professional skills (e.g., veterinary and human surgeons) confirm that individuals trained under the alternatives-focused United Kingdom system are not less qualified than their counterparts exposed to the more animal-based approach still common in the United States. There are no documented disadvantages associated with the exclusive use of humane alternatives. In 1999 NEAVS worked with Tufts University School of Veterinary College to make it the first US vet school to eliminate all terminal labs on all species. The trend in both medical and veterinary schools is rapidly moving toward making all live animal labs either electives or eliminated. It is now possible for a student to go through primary, secondary and undergraduate education (even with an emphasis in biology) and not need to harm, kill living animals or work on already dead animals. For more detailed information on issues associated with educational uses of alternatives and animals, please go to the ESEC website. << Back To Contents | Next Section >>

Other NEAVS Fact Sheets: Benefits of Non-Animal Tests | Xenotransplants | Animal Welfare Act | Limitations of Animal Tests | Non-Animal Product Safety Test Alternatives << Back to Better Science  | Home