Who Is Cutout Dissection.com? October 9, 2008
Posted by Marta at October 9, 2008 9:17 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 369 ) | TrackBack
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It's October and you know that that means: It's Cut Out Dissection month!
I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate Cut Out Dissection month then by introducing you to Cutout Dissection.com herself. That's right, a PETA intern (formally known as Jennifer Thornburg) has officially changed her name to Cutout Dissection.com. What made her decide to do this? Read my interview with her to get the lowdown.
What made you decide to change your name?
I changed my name in order to raise awareness about the six million animals that are killed for dissection each year. These animals suffer painful deaths and their bodies are then used in labs when computer stimulations, diagrams, or 3D models could be used instead. Cutting up animals in school sends the message to students that an animal's life is worthless. I don't think that's a message teachers should be sending. With so many cheaper, more educational and humane ways to learn, there is no reason for students to be dissecting in high schools today. I hope to raise awareness on this subject, and to cause teachers and students to say no to dissection, and yes to alternative ways to learn anatomy.
Did you dissect in high school?
In middle school I dissected a chicken. I wasn't into the idea of dissecting an animal, but when I asked my teacher for an alternative, he said that I could only have it if I went vegetarian for the two weeks leading up to the dissection. I thought that was crazy, at the time, so I went through with the project. Looking back, I can't remember much from the actual dissection; I know now that using an alternative would have been much more educational, and I also know that it's definitely not crazy to be a vegetarian, too.
What do people call you now?
My fellow interns call me Cutout, but my family still calls me Jenny. My favorite thing to do is to introduce myself to people as Cutout Dissection.com, which always raises a few questions. This gives me a chance to explain a few facts about dissection—such as how cats are sometimes pumped with formaldehyde while they're still conscious.
What have people's reactions been to your name?
Cutout is one of those names that you have to say three times, spell out, and use in a sentence before people process it. Once people get my name down, they normally want to know why I changed it. This gives me a chance to tell them about the estimated six million animals used in high school dissection labs throughout the United States every year. Once people learn how the animals are gassed, pumped with formaldehyde, drowned or otherwise inhumanly killed for dissection, they are shocked and want to know what they can do to help.
You're obviously very passionate about educating people about dissection. Why is that?
Two years ago, I was an active Street Team member of peta2. I was trying to rake up some points in order to trade them in for a shirt, and I got an email saying that anything that I did relating to dissection during the month of October would be double the points. Because of this, I decided to work on getting a dissection choice policy passed at my high school. When I started to research policies and why dissection is bad for the school, students, and animals, it became an obsession of mine. My senior exit project and my junior year were both dedicated to getting a dissection choice policy passed at my high school. I was shocked when I read about how much more educational the alternatives to dissection can be, how much money they can save for the school, and how many lives could be spared; it's shocking to me that schools still use dissection as a part of their science lessons when there are so many humane and equally educational alternatives out there that will also save the school money.
I know you got the policy passed at your school. Congrats! How excited were you?
I was super excited to say the very least!
I can imagine. What did the DMV say when you got your new license?
It took me two tries to get my license. On the second try, the DMV worker looked very amused and confused, but also looked like she was afraid to ask for an explanation. When she finally did ask about it, I had a good conversation with her, explaining that Cutoutdissection.com is a real website, and then explaining why I'm against dissection. She seemed repulsed by the thought of animals being drowned, pumped full of formaldehyde, and gassed as a way of death. She also looked shocked when I told her that it affects six million animals per year. When she called over another worker to be a witness to my paperwork, the other worker grinned and said "Oh, I remember her!" (It happened to be the worker who I talked to on my first attempt to get my license). Overall, it was a great opportunity to start a conversation about alternatives to dissection!
Make like Cutout and spread the word about dissection! Stream "Classroom Cut-Ups" on your page, do everything on our "Cut Out Dissection" calendar, and join the thousands who've signed our pledge to refuse to dissect.
What do you think of the name change?
♥ Marta
