Weird Universe Archive
May 2015
May 2, 2015
Is cannibalism illegal?
Turns out there are no laws in the U.S. specifically outlawing cannibalism, except in Idaho, which has this statute on the books:TITLE 18
CRIMES AND PUNISHMENTS
CHAPTER 50
MAYHEM
18-5003. CANNIBALISM DEFINED -- PUNISHMENT. (1) Any person who wilfully ingests the flesh or blood of a human being is guilty of cannibalism.
(2) It shall be an affirmative defense to a violation of the provisions of this section that the action was taken under extreme life-threatening conditions as the only apparent means of survival.
(3) Cannibalism is punishable by imprisonment in the state prison not exceeding fourteen (14) years.
CRIMES AND PUNISHMENTS
CHAPTER 50
MAYHEM
18-5003. CANNIBALISM DEFINED -- PUNISHMENT. (1) Any person who wilfully ingests the flesh or blood of a human being is guilty of cannibalism.
(2) It shall be an affirmative defense to a violation of the provisions of this section that the action was taken under extreme life-threatening conditions as the only apparent means of survival.
(3) Cannibalism is punishable by imprisonment in the state prison not exceeding fourteen (14) years.
What's going on in Idaho that inspired this law? A 2011 article in the Journal of Law and Social Deviance explains:
In Idaho, anthropophagy (called cannibalism by statute) is illegal. The statute makes it an offense to drink human blood or consume human flesh, punishable by up to fourteen years in prison. The law was conceived in 1990 as a response to fears that ritualized practices involving sexual abuse and torture of minors would include anthropophagy. The legislators criminalized the consumption of human blood and flesh out of a concern that children would be sacrificed, eaten, or forced to consume the tissue of murdered or necrotic bodies during ritual practices.
But what about placenta-eating (a practice that's been discussed a number of times here on WU)? Wouldn't the Idaho statute make this practice illegal? Yes, technically it would. But the same article argues that if Idaho ever tried to send anyone to prison for placenta eating (or any other non-harmful, consensual form of cannibalism — ingesting blood, etc.), their statute would probably be ruled unconstitutional as it violates a fundamental "right to privacy."
Posted By: Alex - Sat May 02, 2015 -
Comments (9)
Category: Food, Law
Schizophrenic Model Psychosis Induced By LSD 25
Posted By: Paul - Sat May 02, 2015 -
Comments (15)
Category: Drugs, Psychedelic, Science, 1950s
May 1, 2015
Hairware
Control your phone by stroking your hair. It's a technology invented by Katia Vega of the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, who explains: "we add new functionalities to hair extensions, turning them into a seamless device that recognizes auto-contact behaviors concealed to outside observers."This is obviously a technology invented by someone who has lots of hair. Useless for us hairless types. Though she does say she has plans for a way of controlling apps by stroking your beard.
Posted By: Alex - Fri May 01, 2015 -
Comments (5)
Category: Inventions, Telephones, Hair and Hairstyling
Montreal Madness of 1892
People acted weird in familiar NOTW fashion even over a century ago, as this Montreal newspaper reveals.
Posted By: Paul - Fri May 01, 2015 -
Comments (5)
Category: Emotions, Newspapers, Husbands, Wives, Nineteenth Century, Mental Health and Insanity
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| Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction books such as Elephants on Acid. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1. Chuck Shepherd Chuck is the purveyor of News of the Weird, the syndicated column which for decades has set the gold-standard for reporting on oddities and the bizarre. Our banner was drawn by the legendary underground cartoonist Rick Altergott. Contact Us |
