Star Speaks out Against Animal Dissection

WASHINGTON— Jenna Morasca, winner of CBS’s “Survivor: The Amazon” and recent cast member of “Survivor: All-Stars,” is strutting her stuff alongside an amphibian companion in a sexy new ad that encourages students to consider alternatives to dissection. The ad, created by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), shows Jenna holding a frog in the palm of her hand. The caption reads, “We both survived.” The full-page ad will premiere in the March issue of “Teen Ink” and is available as a PSA for newspapers and magazines.

“The ad shows Jenna just finishing a swim in the Amazon, along with her frog companion in his natural habitat—not on the dissection table,” says Kristie Stoick, M.S., research coordinator for PCRM.

As a University of Pittsburgh zoology major, Jenna refused to participate in animal dissection for a biology class, and her grade suffered. “Morally, it was worth it to me,” she says. “Life is more important.” Jenna explains her view: “With all the great new alternatives to dissection, there’s no need to harm animals now or ever.”

In more and more classrooms, students are winning the right to opt out of dissection with no penalty. The determination of teachers and students like Jenna has paved the way for these important changes. Dog labs, once common in U.S. medical schools, have been eliminated on the majority of campuses. Sophisticated computer models have made humane education more popular.

For more information on dissection alternatives, please visit: www.DissectionAlternatives.org. 

Founded in 1985, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is a nonprofit health organization that promotes preventive medicine, conducts clinical research,and encourages higher standards for ethics and effectiveness in research.