Our sixth prompt comes from Wanderer. They ask:
Do you think bestiality should be legalized? Human beings kill and domesticate (read enslave) animals without their consent. So, haven’t we disregarded consent to begin with for it to come up as an argument against those who want to engage in sexual relations with their animals? I use consent because many animal rights activists use this argument. Without linking it to religion, what are your thoughts on this?
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Wanderer,
This is the most intriguing and engaging question I have been asked this year. Bestiality (sexual intercourse between a human being and an animal) is a hot topic because we tend to project our attitudes on animals, so our stance on bestiality is almost always dictated by our personal moral/ethical code.
We have yet to agree on how we want to treat animals universally as a species. That consensus may never happen. As you stated, many of us are okay with the killing of animals for food, with the forced mating of animals, with the castration of our dogs, cats and other domestic animals, with the artificial insemination of cows, goats and other animals we rear for food, with experiments on mice in the name of medicine and cosmetics, and so on. However, we seem to draw the line at bestiality.
There are many reasons given for this. One is that animals cannot give informed consent to sex with a human being. As we stand, there is a language barrier between human beings and animals, ergo we cannot say that an animal can/would consent to sexual intercourse with a human being. Which then brings to mind the fact that animals do not consent to being reared, to being artificially inseminated, to being castrated or to being eaten, yet we go ahead and do these things anyway.
Which would then bring up another argument – bestiality goes against the “natural order.” However, we know that our ideas on what counts as natural/unnatural are subjective and dependent on our socialization. Abrahamic religions (Christianity, Islam and Judaism), which are the most widely practiced in Kenya, strongly condemn bestiality while sanctioning the killing and domestication of animals. Being that religion is where most people get their moral/ethical codes, I think this is why we generally draw the line at bestiality.
There’s also the fact that it is deviant behaviour – most people would not find themselves being drawn to animals, so they cannot understand why anyone would be. Other arguments include the fact that human anatomy and that of most animals differs, so human beings may be injured in the act, and the fact that the exchange of parasites/diseases between species may prove fatal to both the human being and the animal.
I think that the key issue, though, is the belief in human exceptionalism. Because of the advances our species has made, we see animals as being lesser than. They are inferior beings with very few rights. Human rights are protected by the constitution, animal rights aren’t. Which is why when a Kenyan man ran over nine cows in his Probox and later abandoned it, the initial reaction was shock then laughter. Concern for the animals came way later.
The reason this question is never entertained for too long is that it would cause us to challenge all that we think we know, and all that we believe. It would make us uncomfortable, and you know how much we hate discomfort. Perhaps we are wrong? Perhaps vegetarians and vegans are right? Perhaps, due to the way we treat animals already, we have no moral high ground from which to judge zoophiliacs? Perhaps, when we take away our hypocrisy, there is nothing left to say?
I do not think we should legalize bestiality, however. I think we should work hard to challenge and change the ways in which we are hypocritical, to recognize animal rights, to end this belief in human exceptionalism, and to listen to vegetarians and vegans. One thing is for sure though – it will not be easy.
[P.S. – Wanderer, I am not even close to being done thinking about your question. Truly, my mind has been boggled, and it shall stay that way for a while. Thank you for bringing this up – I’m hoping others who read this are equally challenged by your question. I am off to think about my hypocrisy.]
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This post is part of a daily writing experiment that I’m running for a year. I’d love it if you took part! ?