High school student Jenifer Graham refused to dissect a frog in her biology class, declaring that dissection went against her ethical principles. Dissection—the process of cutting into and studying dead animals—has come increasingly under attack in recent years.

Animal dissection is practiced in high school and college biology classrooms as a way to provide students with hands- on learning experiences with anatomy. Dogs, cats, fish, and fetal pigs are used in dissection, but frogs are used most often. Proponents of dissection argue that it teaches students about organs and circulatory systems better than textbooks can. Dissection advocates in medical schools contend that the practice is the only way to provide students with practice in surgical techniques without risking human lives. High school biology teacher Susan Offner contends that “no model, no video, no diagram and no movie can...