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Sacramento, Calif., June 19, 2024 - Today, AB 2640, The CLASS (Compassionate Advancements in Science Studies) Act, authored by Assemblymember Ash Kalra (D-San Jose) and co-sponsored by Social Compassion in Legislation, PETA, and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, passed the Senate Education Committee with a unanimous vote of 6-0.
Every year in the U.S., an estimated 10 million animals are killed for dissection. Frogs are taken from the wild (a practice that disrupts ecosystems), fetal piglets are cut from the wombs of their mothers, and cats that may be someone’s lost companion end up on dissection trays. Other animals are routinely drowned or suffocated.
The Class Act will modernize science education in the state of California by requiring teachers to inform students of their right to opt out of dissection and choose a non-animal assignment instead, in addition to information regarding where the animal was sourced and any possible exposure to harmful chemicals, such as formaldehyde.
“Today's bipartisan vote is a big win for students' rights to opt-out of animal dissection,” said Judie Mancuso, Founder and CEO of Social Compassion in Legislation. “Every single person I have spoken to remembers dissection as a negative experience. They took away nothing about biology – just that killing animals to carve them up is cruel and disgusting. Today’s digital technologies or synthetic models offer a better understanding of animal anatomy and spares them from being exposed to formaldehyde, a known carcinogen, or participating in animal cruelty.”
“Cutting open animals for cruel and archaic dissection can be traumatizing for compassionate young people and can deter those with ethical objections from pursuing careers in science,” says PETA TeachKind Science Program Manager Samantha Crowe. “PETA thanks the Committee for protecting vulnerable students and animals by reinforcing their right to opt for superior, humane, non-animal methods.”
"We are ecstatic to see AB 2640 pass the Senate Education Committee with a bipartisan vote", said Nickolaus Sackett, Director of Legislative Affairs for SCIL. "We cannot thank Assemblymember Kalra enough for his perseverance and leadership on this issue."
The next stop for this bill is the Senate Appropriations Committee. Watch for details about the time and date of that hearing and actions you can take to help move it forward.
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