# Cannibalism for survival Q? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 20, 2003, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannibalism-for-survival-q/214208 "2003-11-20T00:02:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannibalism-for-survival-q/214208/1 "2003-11-20T00:02:37Z")
What is the view of different religions/faiths on eating a dead companion (that was not killed to eat nor killed by you) when one perceives it to be a life and death situation that is dependant on that nutrition? What are the penalities for such actions? Also what are the legal aspects? ---
**Author:** ![bonzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@bonzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bonzer)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannibalism-for-survival-q/214208/2 "2003-11-20T00:23:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kanicbird \* > Also what are the legal aspects? The classic historical case in English law is [_Regina v. Dudley and Stephens_](http://clr.prf.cuni.cz/clanek.php?clanek=64). ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannibalism-for-survival-q/214208/3 "2003-11-20T00:33:33Z")
In a New York minute! Oh, you want the moral and legal stuff. Well, catholics symbolically eat Jesus to save their souls. Don’t know, though, about mortals. We never covered that in catechism. I _think_ it would be ok. ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannibalism-for-survival-q/214208/4 "2003-11-20T00:47:48Z")
Hey, I’ll give you a hypothetical situation: Me, Zeke, Bill, Mike, and Joe pile into a B-52 to bomb the bajeezus out of Siberia in World War III. We don’t make it back, and we crash land somewhere in the Yakutsk. Joe gets killed on impact. Would I? Yep. Given Joe died by something else, and survival is the first order of business, I would home my God would forgive me. Hell, I’ve eaten cat, dog, snake, turtle, snail, you name it. I won’t go to a restaurant and order “people” [sub]unless Charlton Heston is there[/sub], but it’s like I said, group survival is the first order of business. Legal impacts? In **bonzer** ’s cite, someone got _killed_ in order to feed the others. That’s murder. If you _find_ a source of protien, that’s a different story. . . Check out that movie _Alive_. It’ll make you think some. Tripler Gruesome, ain’t it? ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannibalism-for-survival-q/214208/5 "2003-11-20T00:47:54Z")
> [@](#): > > that life shall not be taken or sacrificed even to preserve one’s own life and that the defence of necessity is no excuse. Wow the prochoice movement would go ape\_\_\_ over this one. But I am really interested in when the companion dies for other reasons and you are starving, in need of food (or perceive your self in a situation) and that corpse is the only food you know of. It is an interesting link though ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannibalism-for-survival-q/214208/6 "2003-11-20T00:49:21Z")
“home” = “hope” Tripler Damn preview. ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e79b87/32.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka1)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannibalism-for-survival-q/214208/7 "2003-11-20T01:05:12Z")
In the case of the movie, “Alive,” and the real-life incident that suggested it, the Uruguayans did not kill anyone. They ate bits of those who did not survive the crash or the avalanche shortly afterwards. Upon their rescue, many of them sought absolution, and were reassured that the Catholic Church does not regard cannibalism as a sin, under extreme circumstances, unless other sins are involved in obtaining the groceries, so to speak. Cite: “Alive,” by Piers Paul Read. ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannibalism-for-survival-q/214208/8 "2003-11-20T01:08:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Master Wang-Ka \* > [B. . . the Catholic Church does not regard cannibalism as a sin, under extreme circumstances, unless other sins are involved in obtaining the groceries, so to speak. > > Cite: “Alive,” by Piers Paul Read. \*\* Thanks for the clarification and cite. Tripler “Joe” would have appreciated it. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e79b87/32.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka1)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannibalism-for-survival-q/214208/9 "2003-11-20T01:31:57Z")
Whoops. Should have said that the Catholic Church does not consider “cannibalism in extremis” a sin, period. Admittedly, other sins can be committed in RELATION to cannibalism – murder, gluttony, and so forth – but assuming you were gonna die if you didn’t eat an existing corpse, eating it does not constitute a sin. By the same token, REFUSAL to eat a corpse, and subsequent death by starvation, does NOT constitute “suicide” which is forbidden by the Catholic Church. (readin’ with one hand, typin’ with the other, here…) ---
**Author:** ![GilaB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@GilaB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GilaB)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannibalism-for-survival-q/214208/10 "2003-11-20T06:23:51Z")
Jewish law allows (and IIRC, _requires_) one to eat a dead body rather than starve. However, killing is one of the three sins that one has to die rather than commit, so offing someone to _get_ the dead body is definitely out 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannibalism-for-survival-q/214208/11 "2003-11-20T06:40:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by GilaB \* > \*\*Jewish law allows (and IIRC, _requires_) one to eat a dead body rather than starve. However, killing is one of the three sins that one has to die rather than commit, so offing someone to _get_ the dead body is definitely out 😃 \*\* Hmmm…but what about killing YOURSELF, so that OTHERS might feed on your corpse?