Illinois § 5

§ 5.

Findings and purpose. (a) The General Assembly finds and declares that the appropriate use of dissection in research and education has contributed a great deal to the advancement of medical and biological science. Without dissection the science of anatomy could not have advanced, and it is the bedrock supporting the modern practice of surgery in its many forms. The appropriate use of dissection has brought many benefits to the people of this State, and it continues to play important roles in medical and veterinary practice, research, and education. (b) The General Assembly also finds that the remarkable progress of the last few decades has produced significant advances in computing and the graphic and representational arts, and that these developments have resulted in the creation of many new technologies for teaching anatomy, physiology, and other medical and biological sciences. In certain circumstances these new technologies are capable of providing an educational experience superior to dissection, and they have often proven to be less expensive and more humane. (c) The General Assembly also finds that the use of dissection, when inappropriate or poorly supervised, can result in the inhumane treatment and unnecessary suffering of animals. The inappropriate or careless use of dissection in schools has also in some instances traumatized students and contributed to a failure to teach proper respect for life and living creatures. (d) It is the purpose of this Act to encourage schools in this State to make available and use alternatives to dissection when those alternatives are appropriate and can provide an educational experience that is equal or superior to the traditional use of dissection. It is not in any way the intention of this Act to discourage the appropriate use of dissection in research or when it provides a valuable educational experience to students. (Source: P.A. 91-771, eff. 6-9-00.)