I thought I had it bad when I was in high school when the worst thing I had to do was cut open a frog. Science classes in today's high schools aren't worried if the frog shipment will make it in on time but whether or not the students will be on time for the autopsy field trip.
One school has cancelled their field trips after one parent complained about her child viewing the autopsy of a 14 year old girl.
Many high school's field trips are still on schedule. It got me to thinking, why the need to have students view an autopsy? Is it that students today can't learn unless they can get in enough fear and gross factor? What once was an area left to those who truly wanted to persue medicine or forensic science, is now just an everyday outing. How will this affect the students? Will they become numb to seeing dead bodies? Have any had nightmares or any other post autopsy related issues? Neatly cutting into a body doesn't mean there will be no repercussions.
Science is a good thing and understanding how our bodies work is important. Yet, an autopsy can't be treated as a sideshow that any who care to profer .50 cents can view. The scientists who do end up doing autopsies are special people. It's not a job for everyone. Not even for every policeman or doctor. Why should it be for every student?
Tia Linschied
Senior Editor of HSB
Dec. 9, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Man! That is bad. If I would have been exposed to that in school, I'd be scarred for life. It does take special people to do that kind of work. That school was wrong to take kids to an autopsy.
Ali
www.mygodgivenmissionfield.com
- Home Where They Belong
Comments
Wait a moment.
You may be being unfair. Let me explain. I was a Pre-med student. By the time I finsihed high school (a public school) I had taken enough advance courses that I was 2 credits shy of being a Junior when I started college. I had been to several surgeries & autopsies by then. But this was preparation for the medical field. You can learn a lot about the profession by seeing things first hand. One of my buddies learned he was not cut out for it and went into something else.
These students COULD have been advance biology students. IF this was the case, this was not a gore field trip but a truely educational experience. Again, it would depend upon the type of students.
I would agree with you if I had not been one of those students. Again, this would depend on what type of students these were.
Posted by Anonymous 
