Girl, 16, forced out of anatomy class

Baltimore Sun ^ | 9-25-2002 | Jonathan D. Rockoff

[Cagey]

A 16-year-old student at Kenwood High School who refused to dissect a cat was forced to abandon her honors anatomy and physiology class Monday, even though her mother offered to buy a computer alternative.

Jennifer Watson, an A student from Essex who cares for a pet cat named Fluffy, resisted dissection as inhumane.

The girl wanted to remain in the class, and her mother proposed buying software for performing simulated dissections on the computer, according to the girl and her mother, Maria Watson. But the teacher threatened to fail the college-bound student if she didn't participate in the dissections.

[SouthernFreebird]

Shes not forced to take honors classes. This is about as dumb as taking spanish classes and complaining about having to learn a foreign language.

[southern rock]

"Hello? Humane society? Yes this is the teacher at Kenwood HS. We need 40 cats for tomorrow. Thank you.

"Hello? Humane society? Yes this is the manager at KFC. We need 40 cats for tomorrow. Thank you. :P

[homeschool mama]

http://scienceman.org/dissection.html

[discostu]

You want any side dishes or beverages with that?

[agarrett]

I disagree. If she doesn't want to dissect a cat they shouldn't force her to.

  I disagree. If she doesn't want to dissect a cat she should not take a course that requires dissecting a cat.

Drew Garrett

[homeschool mama]

ROFLOL!!!!!!!!! ssshhhh...don't tell my daughter that one!

[RightWhale]

Did this happen this year? If so, there was an identical story a year ago. An squeamishness epidemic?

[homeschool mama]

discected = dissected

duh!

[gc4nra]

"I disagree. If she doesn't want to dissect a cat they shouldn't force her to."

I don't want to solve for "X", should I be forced to do so in algebra class?

This is an honors class and students more than likely recieve college credit. If she doesn't want to participate then she should go back to a regular H.S. biology class.

[FreedomPoster]

When did they start using cats?

My wife dissected a cat in a H.S. Senior "Anatomy & Physiology" class in 76-77.

This is the kind of class that leads to medical school. I would prefer to have future doctors learning from real anatomy, not a computer simulation.

[WhyisaTexasgirlinPA]

My daughter's class will be dissecting a cat this year too.....what is the difference between a cat and a frog? They both were alive at one time........

My son's 5th grade class dissected a pig lung last year....correction - I dissected a pig lung...... it was one of the coolest things I've ever done! We took a straw and blew air into the tissue to see how the lungs expand........ it was absolutely amazing..........

[southern rock]

I don't want to solve for "X", should I be forced to do so in algebra class?

In a public school? NO! But then again, no one should be forced to attend government school. But thgn again, government school shouldn't even exist. So therefore, government school can't really make anyone do anything.

[LibKill]

We had to do this in a regular biology class back in the '70s.

The teacher freaked out when I used a Buck Knife (tm) to remove the critter's hide.

Oh, BTW, the cat was dead, pickled in formaldehyde and didn't feel a thing while I skint it. :)

[Eagle Eye]

How does an "A" studnet enroll in an anatomy class without knowing that dissection is a required class activity?

[homeschool mama]

The difference between a frog and a cat...you could cuddle the cat at one time. Frogs just pee on you. :o/

We're doing a number of dissections this year...way cool!

Had a difficult time in high school biology with the cute little chicks being used as test subjects for whatever poison we hypo'd into them.

[Tennessee_Bob]

We dissected a piglet when I was in tenth grade back in 1978-1979.

[homeschool mama]

**But then again, no one should be forced to attend government school. But thgn again, government school shouldn't even exist. So therefore, government school can't really make anyone do anything. **

:o)

[Cagey]

It's from today's Baltimore Sun, so I would think that yes, it happened this year.

[Robert_Paulson2]

every body needs a little... KFC kentucky Fried Ca@ ???