Despite protests, McMinnville students to continue dissecting cats
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MCMINNVILLE, Ore. - Following a McMinnville school board's decision, students will continue to dissect cats in advanced biology classes.
Animal rights groups have voiced opposition to the practice but their complaints were overruled by the school board. Activists said there were other ways to teach the same concepts without using animals.
Antoinette Marcel with the Yamhill County Cat Coalition said she disagrees with the decision.
"Students in McMinnville have been disrespecting cats," she said, claiming students have been mocking their dissection exercises in Facebook posts. "And the board did not even want to address that, didn't want to mention it. I don't find that acceptable," Marcel said.
The issue prompted some of the most vigorous commenting seen so far on the KATU Facebook page, with over 800 comments posted as of Tuesday morning.
This poor lady obviously does not understand that cats, frogs, possums, worms and a host of other animals and even humans have been dissected for years. There have been some really good advancements in both human and vet medicine from such practice. I would not condone the killing of animals for the purpose of dissecting them in class, but if they are already dead, what is the problem. I am sure that even some folks who love cats have donated their little pets to further science.
"Students in McMinnville have been disrespecting cats," She should hear what medical students say and do while dissecting human cadavers! Or police or medical examiners who are involved in autopsies. Humans often use a macabre sense of humor as a defense mechanism when they are doing something like this. One of these 'cat disrespecting' students may very well become the surgeon who saves her life or the vet who saves one of her cat's lives.
 @hewhoo Very, very well sad. That aspect of human behavior is often misunderstood.
@PleaseBeSmart Even knowing what I know, I'll still be donating both any useable organs and my leftovers as a cadaver. The medical schooll says they'll cremate what's left when they are done and give it to my survivors...a couple of ounces less in powder won't be a big deal and if it helps someone learn....