Educational dissection uses millions of animals annually in schools and universities, and humane alternatives have been shown to produce equivalent learning outcomes.
Educational dissection welfare involves both the animals used and the attitudes toward animals that dissection practices shape in students. Animals supplied for dissection are killed specifically for educational use — often raised or collected in conditions that cause welfare harm prior to death. Studies consistently show that digital alternatives including sophisticated dissection software achieve equivalent anatomical learning outcomes. Students uncomfortable with dissection who are denied alternatives develop negative attitudes toward science rather than enhanced learning. The welfare and educational case for transitioning to alternatives is strong, and student opt-out rights represent a minimum welfare accommodation.