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Dissection on Valentine's Day: Where's the love?

By Ari | Feb 3, 09 10:27 AM

There will be an event at Ithaca's Sciencecenter on Valentine's Day, during which children will be shown a variety of hearts taken from dead animals, and will watch a dead pig's heart being dissected.

If you too think that this is an inappropriate event for children - or anyone, especially the animals who have to die for it to happen - call 607-272-0600 and ask to speak to Executive Director Charles Trautmann at extension 26, or Associate Director Lara Kimber at extension 12. You can also email them at: info@sciencecenter.org. Please be polite. My email is below.

Hi,

I just heard you're doing a program that involves dissecting animal hearts on Valentine's Day, and I thought I'd let you know my response to it, since I'm an Ithacan, a science fan, and a future parent.

This event seems to me to teach children something very disturbing - that animals are not worthy of our compassion, that these sentient beings are somehow so fundamentally different from humans that it's morally acceptable to kill them and cut up their bodies as a form of education and entertainment. The fact that you're doing it on Valentine's Day just makes it that much more creepy and sad. Animals feel pain and pleasure and sorrow; they have families, interests, lives of their own. They do not exist for us to treat like objects, to mutilate and eviscerate - but to live their own lives. We should respect them, not teach our children to disrespect them as we have for so long.

We relocated to Ithaca because we wanted to start a family. Our little nephews come to visit us, too, and we know many people with kids. When I heard of the Sciencecenter I remember at first thinking it would be a lovely resource. However, I saw an ad for a live bug program you were doing, which gave me pause. I usually don't patronize businesses or organizations that promote the use and abuse of animals. Hearing of this Valentine's Day event has helped me make my decision. No kids I know will be going to Sciencecenter; these values you're teaching do not work for my family.

I thought I would send you this email so that you could understand where folks like me are coming from. Maybe folks who love animals aren't an important part of your audience - but maybe they are. If so, I think you should know what message this event is sending to people like me.

Because I care deeply about animals and my community and know that transparent dialogue is what helps culture change, I hope you don't mind that I'm posting this email as an open letter on my blog:
http://www.shirari.com/blog/2009/02/03/dissection_on_valentines_day_w.html
Please feel free to post your response as a comment if you would like it to appear publicly, or just email me back (I may post your response unless you object). I'm very curious as to your response.

Thanks for reading, and peace!
Ari Moore
Shirari Industries
Ithaca, NY

"The important thing is to never stop questioning."
- Albert Einstein
Why vegan? http://tinyurl.com/2xkmc

UPDATE, 2.11.09: Received on the vegan wire: "The Valentines Day 'I Heart Science' event that involved dissecting a pigs heart has been replaced with examining the chocolate, strawberry and vanilla plants and talking about the foods that come from them. A much more appropriate activity for Valentines Day, or any day!!!" Yesss!!

More: Activism | Animals | Education | Family | Oppression

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