Our dear friend Jamie Scott was denied her DVM (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine) license at Ross University after challenging the killing and harming of innocent animals in the name of education. With only 1 1/2 semesters to complete her degree, she was wrongfully dismissed from Ross University.
Jamie Scott originally attended Ross University because she was informed that she would not have to perform surgeries that she considered unethical. However, the university mandated that she partake in the killing of animals in order to graduate. JAmie was threatened with being flunked out if she did not perform terminal surgeries, harassed and unfairly discriminated against because of her views concerning animals. Ultimately, she was unjustly dismissed despite helping and saving numerous animals' lives.
Ross University requires students to operate on healthy animals who are then killed or "terminated" at the end of their surgical procedures. Terminal surgeries involve anesthetizing healthy animals including sheep, goats and donkeys and subjecting them to procedures that they don't need, such as tracheostomies, gastrotomies, and joint taps. Many veterinary schools have replaced such terminal surgeries with effective humane teaching tools. These humane alternatives include willed body cadaver donation programs, anatomy models, and survival surgeries performed under close faculty supervision such as spays, neuters and mass removals, on animals who actually benefit from the procedures. Ross University continues to ignore requests to reinstate Jamie, including disregarding signed letters of endorsement from 3 practicing veterinarians.
It's time for Ross University to reinstate Jamie without prejudice so she can complete her degree. Any student is entitled to the right to opt out of procedures which involve killing animals unnecessarily. Jamie is a person who attempted to prioritize the value of sentient life and to give all animals a reasonable opportunity for a decent life. Please support this very important issue within the overall goal of changing how animals are perceived in all veterinary schools.
Thank you,
Lori Cooper
