Baluarte
06-16-2013, 05:58 AM
Sweden set to ban bestiality, scrapping legal loophole that made it legal 'if the animal did not suffer'
Sweden is to outlaw bestiality for the first time in its history after lawmakers finally ruled a loophole that effectively makes it legal was 'unacceptable'.
Under current law, sex with animals is permitted as long as the so-called 'zoophile' can prove the livestock did not suffer in a bizarre technicality that often leaves suspicious vets as confused as the animals they are treating.
But a public backlash has provoked the government to update the archaic legislation with a blanket ban on all forms of pet-lovemaking regardless of consent.
It will leave anyone caught in the act with an animal liable for a hefty fine, two-year jail sentence or even both.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/06/14/article-0-015F359E0000044D-287_634x413.jpg
Bah-my law: Under current laws in the Scandinavian country, sex with animals is permitted just so long as the so-called 'zoophile' can prove the livestock did not suffer
The government is now tightening the rules surrounding bestiality so there will be no doubt about the fact that it is prohibited to inflict suffering on animals,' Minister for Rural Affairs Eskil Erlandsson said in a statement.
'There should be no doubt that bestiality is unacceptable.'
However, the new rules will not be officially enacted until January 1 2014, sparking fears that more animals may be harmed as perpetrators take advantage of the loophole before it is closed.
Friis, told AFP.
Outlawed: It will leave anyone caught in the act with an animal liable for a hefty fine, two-year jail sentence or even both
'It's very good that the law will be changed,' a spokesman for the Swedish Federation of Veterinarians, Johan Beck-
'It's very important that society makes a clear statement that it is unacceptable to use animals that way,' he said.
He added that vets often suspect animals may have been abused but find their hands tied because they can not categorically prove they suffered.
As a result, there are no statistics available on how common bestiality is in the country today.
In 2006, the latest year for which statistics are available, about 100 cases of animals suffering injuries suspected of being related to bestiality were brought to the authorities' attention, Beck-Friis said.
Germany introduced a ban in December after a sharp rise in cases of bestiality including the launch of several 'erotic zoos' which people could visit to abuse animals ranging from llamas to goats.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/06/14/article-2341789-0503C29F0000044D-561_306x423.jpg
Outlawed: It will leave anyone caught in the act with an animal liable for a hefty fine, two-year jail sentence or even both
Bestiality is banned in many European countries, including the Netherlands, France and Switzerland.
The law was changed in the UK in 2003, which reduced the maximum sentence from life imprisonment to two years.
The act however, is still permissible in Belgium and Denmark.
Sweden is to outlaw bestiality for the first time in its history after lawmakers finally ruled a loophole that effectively makes it legal was 'unacceptable'.
Under current law, sex with animals is permitted as long as the so-called 'zoophile' can prove the livestock did not suffer in a bizarre technicality that often leaves suspicious vets as confused as the animals they are treating.
But a public backlash has provoked the government to update the archaic legislation with a blanket ban on all forms of pet-lovemaking regardless of consent.
It will leave anyone caught in the act with an animal liable for a hefty fine, two-year jail sentence or even both.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/06/14/article-0-015F359E0000044D-287_634x413.jpg
Bah-my law: Under current laws in the Scandinavian country, sex with animals is permitted just so long as the so-called 'zoophile' can prove the livestock did not suffer
The government is now tightening the rules surrounding bestiality so there will be no doubt about the fact that it is prohibited to inflict suffering on animals,' Minister for Rural Affairs Eskil Erlandsson said in a statement.
'There should be no doubt that bestiality is unacceptable.'
However, the new rules will not be officially enacted until January 1 2014, sparking fears that more animals may be harmed as perpetrators take advantage of the loophole before it is closed.
Friis, told AFP.
Outlawed: It will leave anyone caught in the act with an animal liable for a hefty fine, two-year jail sentence or even both
'It's very good that the law will be changed,' a spokesman for the Swedish Federation of Veterinarians, Johan Beck-
'It's very important that society makes a clear statement that it is unacceptable to use animals that way,' he said.
He added that vets often suspect animals may have been abused but find their hands tied because they can not categorically prove they suffered.
As a result, there are no statistics available on how common bestiality is in the country today.
In 2006, the latest year for which statistics are available, about 100 cases of animals suffering injuries suspected of being related to bestiality were brought to the authorities' attention, Beck-Friis said.
Germany introduced a ban in December after a sharp rise in cases of bestiality including the launch of several 'erotic zoos' which people could visit to abuse animals ranging from llamas to goats.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/06/14/article-2341789-0503C29F0000044D-561_306x423.jpg
Outlawed: It will leave anyone caught in the act with an animal liable for a hefty fine, two-year jail sentence or even both
Bestiality is banned in many European countries, including the Netherlands, France and Switzerland.
The law was changed in the UK in 2003, which reduced the maximum sentence from life imprisonment to two years.
The act however, is still permissible in Belgium and Denmark.