Jennifer Thornburg, a 19-year-old former PETA intern, is no more. The Virginia native has officially changed her name to “Cutout Dissection.com” as a means of protesting against dissecting animals for scientific research. The URL refers to PETA’s anti-dissection site. Says Dissection.com:

“I normally do have to repeat my name several times when I am introducing myself to someone new. Once they find out what my name is, they want to know more about what the Web site is about.“

Her father, the oddly-named Duane Thornburg, says that, to him, she’s still “Jenny.” That’s sweet. “Jenny” sat down with PETA to discuss her name change:

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.

We’re not sure, however, whether changing your name to a URL works to draw attention towards the plight of animals… or more towards the person changing her name to something uncommon and, as many people might be inclined to think, ridiculous. And while being passionately involved in a cause may work to do a lot of positive, we’re not sure that the things we believed at 19 are things that have stuck with us, now at 23. And this is coming from someone with tattoos. The permanence of an official name change for a cause seems like something a person could later come to regret. regardless of its effectiveness when it comes to activism. But Cutout has found at least one kindred spirit at the DMV:

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.

That is, at least, a little nicer than someone asking, “What’s your tattoo mean?” and you replying, “That, one night, I was drunk.”

Woman changes name to a URL to protest dissections [Welt]
Who Is Cutout Dissection.com [peta2]