Germany prepares to make bestiality illegal
German lawmakers are preparing to outlaw all forms of bestiality. Currently, it’s only illegal if it causes “significant harm” to the animal.
BERLIN, Germany — Bestiality is soon to be outlawed in Germany, despite protests from self-professed "zoophiles."
A parliamentary commission is currently preparing legislation that will ban humans from having sex with animals, MP Hans-Michael Goldmann told Agence France Presse today.
Bestiality used to be illegal in Germany until 1969, when it was removed from the penal code as part of reforms that decriminalized consensual gay sex.
Today it is considered a crime only in the case of "significant harm" to the animal, which can be difficult to prove in court. (Animal pornography, however, is already illegal.)
According to the Tageszeitung (TAZ) newspaper, the Animal Protection Code will be amended to state that no animal should be forced into "actions alien to the species," including sex with a human.
Offenders – either those who have sex with an animal or those who "pimp" the animal to a third party – will face a fine of up to €25,000 euros, or $32,000.
The amendment comes after pressure from animal welfare groups, which according to TAZ ran a dramatic ad campaign against "animal rape" that featured pictures of horrifically injured animals.
One such group, Veterinarians Against Zoophilia and Sodomy, claims that thousands of German "zoophiles" openly swap sex tips in online forums, and that "several" farms exist where animals are kept, trained and rented out to satisfy such bizarre desires.
Equally terrifyingly, the zoophile lobby (who knew?) has already promised to challenge the new amendment in court.
"So-called morals have no place in law," said the president of ZETA (Zoophiles Engaging for Tolerance and Enlightenment), Michael Kiok, who lives with his canine "girlfriend" Cessie.
In a mindblowing interview with TAZ, Kiok explained that he and his fellow zoophiles (he estimates there are more than 100,000 of them in Germany) see themselves as quite different from "zoosadists," who have sex with animals against the creatures' will.
"We want the animals to be fine," he says.
The draft legislation is due to go before parliament by mid-December.