New England Anti-Vivisection Society Offers Humane Alternatives to Tennessee School Staging 'Dead Cat Nativity'.Education Editors/Health & Medical Writers BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 23, 1999 Dead cats hanging from the ceiling, posed as the Three Wise Men and swaddled in a manger. This unbelievable scene was actually the holiday decor of choice at a local high school in Elizabethton, Tennessee. Although the school superintendent Noun 1. school superintendent - the superintendent of a school system overseer, superintendent - a person who directs and manages an organization was quoted as saying that there was no 'mal intent' behind the Nativity scene A nativity scene, also called a crib or crèche (meaning "crib" or "manger" in French) generally refers to any depiction of the birth or birthplace of Jesus. In Italy it is known as presepe created from dead cats previously dissected as part of an anatomy lesson, several of the students were reportedly upset and outraged. The New England Anti-Vivisection Society (NEAVS NEAVS New England Anti-Vivisection Society ) of Boston, Massachusetts, quickly responded to this shocking display of callousness and insensitivity by offering the students educationally sound, humane alternatives to dissecting dis·sect tr.v. dis·sect·ed, dis·sect·ing, dis·sects 1. To cut apart or separate (tissue), especially for anatomical study. 2. cat cadavers. "As a psychologist and president of one of the country's oldest and most respected animal advocacy organizations, I find the supposed naive disbelief expressed by the EHS EHS Environmental Health and Safety EHS Early Head Start (pre-school program) EHS Extremely Hazardous Substance (EPA) EHS Environmental Health Services EHS Exchange Hosted Services anatomy instructor, the principal, superintendent, and other 'educators' that 'people would be disturbed' by a Nativity made up of once living, breathing, feeling beings to be truly disturbing," said NEAVS President Theodora Capaldo, EdD. A first-ever poll undertaken as part of the national Summit for Animals' "2000: Year of the Humane Child" and supported by an unprecedented coalition of 20 national animal protection organizations (including NEAVS) and PETsMART Charities highlights a confirmed link between childhood violence toward animals as a future predictor of violence against humans. "We clearly need to communicate to parents, educators, and children that teaching young people to be kind to all creatures - non-human and human - is an investment in our collective future," Capaldo said. NEAVS and its affiliate, the Ethical Science and Education Coalition (ESEC ESEC European Software Engineering Conference ESEC Eye Surgery Education Council ESEC Ecole Superieure d'Etudes Cinematographiques (Paris, France) ESEC En-Route Secondary Radar Beacon ESEC Electronic Surface Element Control ), have sent copies of Beyond Dissection, a catalog of over 400 alternatives to dissection, and a demonstration disc of Digital Frog2, an interactive CD-ROM CD-ROM: see compact disc. CD-ROM in full compact disc read-only memory Type of computer storage medium that is read optically (e.g., by a laser). dissection simulation program, to the high school. NEAVS and ESEC have also offered to supply the anatomy class with a three-dimensional Cat Lab CD-ROM computer program. "In order to break the cycle of violence at EHS, ESEC will be glad to provide the school with alternatives that offer a high-quality dissection experience without any cruelty to animals cruelty to animals n. the crime of inflicting physical pain, suffering or death on an animal, usually a tame one, beyond necessity for normal discipline. It can include neglect that is so monstrous (withholding food and water) that the animal has suffered, died or . In addition, I offer my expertise as a psychologist to help students and teachers put this experience into perspective," Capaldo said. |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion