A ITÁLIA DÁ UM EXEMPLO

Para adequar-se à legislação que proíbe o uso de animais no ensino quando existirem métodos substitutivos, as instituições de ensino superior da Itália deram um salto à frente – para o século XXI.

Os professores puderam escolher dentre uma lista de métodos alternativos os que preferiam, e um fundo especial lhes forneceu os materiais.
Em conseqüência:
-112 cursos universitários da Itália já não usam animais para o ensino – 78% do total.
-28 universidades aboliram completamente o uso de animais no ensino: Benevento, Bologna, Brescia, Camerino, Catania, Catanzaro,Chieti, Ferrara, Foggia, L’Aquila, Lecce, Milano, Modena,Reggio Emilia, Napoli II, Cattolica di Roma, Campus Biomédico di Roma, Palermo, Parma, Piemonte Orientale, Teramo, Terni, Torino, Trieste, Udine, Urbino, Varese, Verona, Viterbo.

A elevada proporção de instituições de ensino superior que, num país desenvolvido como a Itália, estão trocando para métodos de ensino sem animais, é uma indicação comprovada de que não é mais possível alegar a necessidade pedagógica do uso de animais na educação.

No anexo, pra quem quiser, a tradução do texto completo da notícia e a lista de todas as faculdades de Medicina, Medicina Veterinária, Farmácia e Biologia da Itália que já não praticam vivissecção no ensino, traduzidos do site da ong I CARE, que trabalha pela adoção de métodos substitutivos.



Link: www.icare-worldwide.org/education
Conscientious Objection of Animal Experiments

In most universities, life science education comprises of a didactic course and a thesis that is submitted at the end of the course. While the student has the freedom of choice for the project researched on for the thesis, he/she is compelled to do the didactic experiments which usually involve animals. These didactic tests are, generally, the dissection of animals to study the anatomy and physiology of the animal.

In recent years there has been an awakening and a realization in several academia on the profound negative impact and futility of using animals in education from both a pedagogic and psychological point of view. The fear, anxiety and revulsion that is imposed on the psyche of a young mind, by compulsory vivisection, has been critically and medically analyzed by teachers and psychologists.

The question is "Is education legitimizing harm and death? To a young mind is the biology class his/her first lesson to violence? Can the beauty of life and living things be taught through death? Is it not a paradox of education? Should it not be of utmost concern in a time wrought with violence, death and terrorism?"

While some universities and some nations, in realization of the implications of vivisection, have imposed a 100% ban in the use of live animals in different levels of education, yet others have promulgated laws that allows "conscientious objection". The law of conscientious objection gives a student the freedom to refuse to kill or harm an animal in the name of vivisection.

An issue bordering on human rights and a child's right or desire not to kill or harm, however needs more compulsive thought and urgent attention by more nations and universities.

I-CARE will render all support to students who are courageous enough to refuse the use of animals in education. National laws do not always protect the lives or prevent the exploitation of animals in the teaching of life sciences, medical, pharmacology or veterinary education. However, law should and can protect the students right or desire "not to kill" or "cause pain" to other living beings.

Very often, students who express this desire and want or express their right "not to kill" have been ostracised, ridiculed or forced to use animals for otherwise they would jeopardise their career/future studies.

I-CARE will support, advise and render the needed support, to students groups or individual students who are against the vivisection and who do not want to use animals in their studies.

For help contact us at education@icare-worldwide.org