The Issue on Bestiality by forever_way The word bestiality or zoophilia originates from the Greek word “ ζῷον (zṓion, "animal")” and “philia” which means “to love”. Already you may be thinking of the acts that many zoophiles contribute in , just by putting the two context clues together. In this essay I hope to expose the truth about bestiality and make it a more open topic. What I believe is that bestiality is as serious as any other kind of abuse and should be punishable by imprisonment , or in worse cases, a felony. Zoophilia is often categorized with sodomy and often mistook by zoosexuality. Zoophilia is the strong attraction to animals, not always sexually. So, you and me could be zoophiles, but not zoosexuals. Zoosexuality is the most common thought when hearing “Zoophilia” or “bestaility”(essentially, those are the same, but with small, insignificant difference). The practice of this act has been most popular in Denmark, where it is a safe haven for all zoophiles. Anatomy Difference: Humans and animals are not physically designed to have sexual intercourse with each other. For example, the sexual organs of a human are located in the front of the body, while an animals, let’s say a dog, has its sexual organs in the rear end of their bodies because they travel on four legs. As you can see, this could pose a problem. Yet, zoophiles force the animal into a position that could potentially harm or permanently damage the animal. Legal Status: The legal status of zoophilia(bestiality) is going to take up the most part of this essay. The legality of zoophilia (otherwise termed bestiality) is not controlled from the federal level. The only relevant federal law is the sodomy law under the military code. This law provides that “[a]ny person subject to this chapter who engages in unnatural carnal copulation with . . . an animal is guilty of sodomy.” 10 U.S.C.A. § 925, 10 USCA § 925. The penalty is derived through court martial. However, as one might expect, the statute applies only to military personnel. In 1957, the U.S. Supreme Court developed the "Roth Test" to define "obscenity." The Roth Test requires that the court ask "whether to the average person, applying contemporary community standards, the dominant theme of the material taken as a whole appeals to prurient interest" (Roth v. United States, 354 US 476, 1). Since the Roth decision, the Supreme Court has added that such material must be utterly without redeeming social values. The federal codes most damaging to zoophiliac freedom is 18 USCS @ 1461, which prohibits obscene books as mailable. In the case U.S. v. Miller 455 F.2d 899, this statute was applied by court to find that books describing bestiality between women and a dog were "unmailable." Of course, this issue is not uncommon to have state involvement because of its social unacceptability, let’s not forget the damage it does to the animal. In the United States, there are still a multiple count of states that still allow zoosexuality(bestiality) to remain lawful without consequence. The following states are: Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Montana, North Carolina, New Jersey, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Nevada, Texas, Vermont, West Virginia, Wyoming Also, it is legal in the American Samoa and Guam More Detailed Information: From Alt.sex.bestiality - revised 4 July, 1995 ----- Other Points on Laws: - Having sex with someone else's animal without the owner's permission is a crime against property, the same as if someone "borrowed" his horse to haul their carriage without his permission. Remember that horse thievery was a hangin' offense in the old West. - Sex in public is "open and gross lewdness." People have been prosecuted for ordinary sex in a fenced-in backyard and even in a bedroom with the shades up, on the basis that a child *could have* climbed the fence or looked in the window and seen something. - Sometimes prosecutors are imaginative, and will creatively apply irrelevant laws. For instance, statutory rape if the animal is less than 18 years old. - Exposing a child to bestiality is considered child abuse/sexual abuse in many states. If someone leaves a tape in a VCR and a child hits play and sees it, that may be considered exposure. - In many states even where bestiality is legal, it IS legally grounds for divorce. ================================================= VAR - Verification of information. Most state/countries laws are only located in that states/countries local libraries. So only some laws have been confirmed through research. Others are given by word of mouth and some have not been researched at all. C = Confirmed and verifyed laws. W = laws given by word of mouth (or computer) - = Laws not known. LAW - Is their a specific law against bestiality in that state/country. NONE = No specific law found against bestiality YES = Law found regarding bestiality. SN - Statute Number. If a law has been found this is the state/country's statute number it was found under. PEN - Penalty classification for violating the law. This may vary between states/countries. PT = Prison time STATE/COUNTRY VAR LAW SN PEN USA LAWS Alabama: C YES Code of Ala. @13A-6-63 "sodomy in 1st degree" (1994) criminal offense. Alaska: C NONE Arizona: C NONE Arkansas: C YES Ark. Stat. Ann. Criminal Offense: @13A-6-63 (1994) "sodomy in 1st degree" California: C YES Penal Code Section 286.5 Misdemeanor Colorado: C NONE Connecticut: C NONE Delaware: C YES 11 Del. C. @777 (1993) Class D Criminal felony. Florida: C NONE Georgia: C YES O.C.G.A. @16-6-6 (1994) 1-5 yr. jail sentence. Hawaii: C NONE Idaho: C YES Idaho Code @18-6605 "length of imprisonment (1994) in excess of 5 years is in discretion of court." Illinois: C YES 720 ILCS 5/12-12 (1994) Crime. Indiana: C YES Burn Ind. Code. Ann. @35-42-4-2 (1994) Iowa: C NONE Kansas: C YES K.S.A. @2103506 (1993) Aggravated crim sodomy security level2, felony Kentucky: C NONE Louisiana: C NONE Maine: C YES 17-A M.R.S. @ 251 (1994) Class C Crime; 3-5 yrs Maryland: C YES Unnatural/Perverted up to $1,000 fine, Sexual Acts Article 27, Max of 10 years PT Section 553 Massachusetts: C YES Mass. Ann. Laws. Jail sentence of not ch. 272 @34 (1994) more than 20 years Michigan: C YES MCL @750.185 (1992) Jail sentence not more than 15 years Minnessota: C YES Minn. Stat. @609.294, Either fine of not more (1993) than $3,000 or sentence not more than 1 year. Mississippi: C YES Miss. Code. Ann., Sentence of not more @97-29-59 than 10 years. Missouri: C NONE Montana: C YES Mont. Code. Ann., 10 year sentence and/or @45-5-505 (1994) $50,000 fine. Nebraska: C NONE Nevada: C NONE New Hampshire: C NONE New Jersey: C NONE New Mexico: C NONE New York: C YES NY CLS Penal @130.20 Class A misdemeanor. (1994) North Carolina: C YES N.C. Gen. Stat. @14-177 Class I felony. 3-10 yrs (1994) North Dakota: C YES N.D. Cent. Code Various penalties, & can @12.1-20-03, 12.1-20-07, be considered either 12.1-20-12(1993) "gross sexual imposition" "sexual assault" or "deviate sexual act" Ohio: C NONE Oklahoma: C YES 21 Okl. St. @886 (1994) "imprisonment not to exceed 10 years" Oregon: C NONE Pennsylvania: C YES 18 Pa. C. S. @3101, 3123 and 3124 (1994) Rhode Island: C YES R.I. Gen. Laws @11-10-1 7-20 years. (1993) South Carolina: C YES S.C. Code Ann. 5 yrs jail and/or fine @16-15-120 (1993) of at least $500 South Dakota: C NONE Tennessee: C YES Tenn. Code. Ann. @39-13-501 (1994) Texas: C NONE Utah: C YES Bestiality 76-9-301.8 Class B Misdemeanor Vermont: C NONE Virginia: C YES Va. Code. Ann. Class 6 Felony @18.2-361 (1994) Washington: C NONE Washington DC: C YES DC Code @22-3502 (1994) Fine not more than $1000 ("Sexual Psychopath" and/or sentence of not chapter) more than 10 yrs West Virginia: C NONE Wisconsin: C YES Wis. State. @944.17 None listed (1993) Wyoming: C NONE ================================================ Bestiality in Denmark and Sweden There are a number of countries that also have no law against zoosexuality, mainly Denmark and Sweden. The following will be legal information on bestiality in Denmark and Sweden. Information: Fairly recently, Out of 10 Danish council members, only one voted against bestiality unless in the cases of sex shows or porn. Outraged minority member asks to put the vote to the people. The results are appalling if you think about it. Here’s an old 2006 archive of an article debating weather or not they should outlaw bestiality. A lot were against, but a few sided with allowing it to stay legal. Article [Archive]: “ Bestiality given the okay in Denmark 01 December 2006 COPENHAGEN: Denmark's Council for Animal Ethics has said there is no need to ban sex with animals unless it takes place in pornographic films or sex shows. Only one of the 10 members of the council, set up by the Danish Justice Ministry to establish and uphold animal ethics, wants bestiality expressly forbidden. The others said current laws provided enough animal protection, according to Danish news agency Ritzau. A senior member of the right wing Danish People's Party was shocked by the recommendation and said the subject should be put to a referendum. "Then there wouldn't be any doubt about the result," Christian Hansen said. A Justice Ministry spokesman was not available for comment. This kind of bothers me, because i'm not really sure how I should feel about this. On one hand, I feel like beastiality shouldn't be allowed simply because Animals cannot give consent, and it constitutes animal abuse because many animals would be hurt having sex with a human simply because we are so anatomically different. Plus, the Societal Health issues, it definatly could contribute to the spread of disease and parasites. On the other hand, we EAT animals, so what really constitutes "animal abuse"? It’s ok to slit a cow’s throat, and tear its corpse apart and make it into burgers, but its no ok to have sex with it? Is it animal abuse if it just hurts the animal while it’s still alive? So would bestiality be able to fit under animal abuse since you are hurting the animal in no productive way?” The end of the article is completely right. Bestiality should be a felony and taken as a responsibility to a federal extent. Also, I believe it IS abuse, it should be completely illegal. Expect us.