Spain legalizes bestiality

New Animal Welfare Act, proposed by Spain’s Minister of Social Affairs, Ione Belarra, and subsequently approved, imposes fines of up to €200,000 on dog owners if they become pregnant, but the owner is not registered as a breeder. Prison terms of twelve to twenty-four months are also introduced for killing a rat that has sneaked into a house.

In general, all penalties for crimes that result in the injury or death of any vertebrate animal are increased, as is kicking dogs out of the home. However, bestiality, sexual relations with animals, hitherto considered a criminal offense, will cease to be so with the reform of the Penal Code, approved by Congress on February 9, if such sex does not harm animals.

In Spain, in 2015, Congress approved a reform of the Penal Code to increase penalties for cruelty, disposal and sexual exploitation of animals in Spain. It also raised the age of consent for sexual intercourse for people from 13 to 16, criminalized forced marriages, and increased penalties for child pornography.

The documents stated that, like children, animals did not have the ability to give consent, and for this reason, bestiality began to be defined as a new criminal act.

Now, in connection with the reform of the Criminal Code, recently approved by Congress, section 337 has been removed, the paragraph “Crimes against animals” and is worded as follows: “Bestiality will be punishable by imprisonment for a term of three to eighteen months or disqualification for a term of one to five years. for engaging in a profession, craft or trade connected with animals and for the possession of animals if it causes harm to a vertebrate animal, that is, it required veterinary treatment to restore its health.

In other words, the sexual exploitation of animals is eliminated as an independent crime. From now on, it will only be punishable if she has injured an animal.