# I know this is a sick question but I gotta ask: (Sex with dead people) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 12, 2009, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-this-is-a-sick-question-but-i-gotta-ask-sex-with-dead-people/517384 "2009-11-12T23:51:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-this-is-a-sick-question-but-i-gotta-ask-sex-with-dead-people/517384/1 "2009-11-12T23:51:01Z")
A hypothetical: Husband and wife are married for a long time. Husband wakes up one morning only to discover to his horror that his wife passed away during the night. (No foul play was involved. She died of natural causes) So the husband thinks to himself: “Hmm, this is the last time I’m going to be able to have sex with my wife.” So he does. Has a crime been committed? ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-this-is-a-sick-question-but-i-gotta-ask-sex-with-dead-people/517384/2 "2009-11-12T23:53:41Z")
What, no “Need answer fast”? ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-this-is-a-sick-question-but-i-gotta-ask-sex-with-dead-people/517384/3 "2009-11-12T23:56:56Z")
Probably. Here’s a statute from Ohio that would seem to apply: [Abuse of a corpse](http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/2927.01) And one from Utah: [Another cite](http://webserv.sandy.utah.gov/sandycode/criminal/Chapter%207/7-7-18.html) I picked those States because they happened to pop up on the first page on a quick google for “Abuse of a corpse”… ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-this-is-a-sick-question-but-i-gotta-ask-sex-with-dead-people/517384/4 "2009-11-13T00:07:27Z")
The “I gotta ask” in the subject worries me… ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-this-is-a-sick-question-but-i-gotta-ask-sex-with-dead-people/517384/5 "2009-11-13T00:10:24Z")
Um, yes. In most places sex with a dead body is illegal. Doesn’t matter whose body. Also, gross. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-this-is-a-sick-question-but-i-gotta-ask-sex-with-dead-people/517384/6 "2009-11-13T01:14:59Z")
So when people use natural lambskin condoms, or Portnoy with the raw liver: is that necrophilliac bestialty? ---
**Author:** ![Livardo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/43a26b/32.png) [@Livardo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Livardo)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-this-is-a-sick-question-but-i-gotta-ask-sex-with-dead-people/517384/7 "2009-11-13T01:29:20Z")
I thought the question was going to be about the mechanics, so now I’m curious about that myself. Lots of vaseline? ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-this-is-a-sick-question-but-i-gotta-ask-sex-with-dead-people/517384/8 "2009-11-13T01:49:53Z")
How did the necrophilliac lose his girlfriend? Rotten bitch split on him. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-this-is-a-sick-question-but-i-gotta-ask-sex-with-dead-people/517384/9 "2009-11-13T02:21:09Z")
Necrophilia: crack open a cold one. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-this-is-a-sick-question-but-i-gotta-ask-sex-with-dead-people/517384/10 "2009-11-13T04:07:18Z")
> [@](#): > > In most places sex with a dead body is illegal. Doesn’t matter whose body. But not all places. There was an incident a few years back in some Midwestern state (I think it might have been Wisconsin) where some guys had sex with a recently deceased woman and the police and DA found that there was no specific law prohibiting that act in that state. The men were charged with some other related crime, like illegally vandalizing a grave, and a new law was enacted to prohibit necrophilia. ---
**Author:** ![fandango](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b5ac83/32.png) [@fandango](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fandango)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-this-is-a-sick-question-but-i-gotta-ask-sex-with-dead-people/517384/11 "2009-11-13T06:49:25Z")
> [@Livardo](#): > > I thought the question was going to be about the mechanics, so now I’m curious about that myself. Lots of vaseline? I just gotta point out, doesn’t the sphincter usually relax at the point of death? Ditto the bladder muscles? ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-this-is-a-sick-question-but-i-gotta-ask-sex-with-dead-people/517384/12 "2009-11-13T07:14:21Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > So when people use natural lambskin condoms, or Portnoy with the raw liver: is that necrophiliac bestiality? Well, we could discuss \*sadistic \*necrophiliac bestiality, but that would be beating a dead horse. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-this-is-a-sick-question-but-i-gotta-ask-sex-with-dead-people/517384/13 "2009-11-13T07:15:51Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > What, no “Need answer fast”? Thank you. For answering my frequent question: “Is it Okay around here to provide a smart-ass answer in the very first response to an OP?” ---
**Author:** ![Discipline](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/82dd89/32.png) [@Discipline](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Discipline)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-this-is-a-sick-question-but-i-gotta-ask-sex-with-dead-people/517384/14 "2009-11-13T07:25:25Z")
> [@rhubarbarin](#): > > Also, gross. Maybe she’s just passed out, is that gross? Not the most chivalrous sounding thing, but people have kinks, this could be theirs. Maybe she’s in a coma. Still gross? Maybe she’s [locked in](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=11766599&postcount=55). Still gross? Draw the line. How warm does she have to be? What do we call it between heart beats? ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-this-is-a-sick-question-but-i-gotta-ask-sex-with-dead-people/517384/15 "2009-11-13T07:30:30Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > Thank you. For answering my frequent question: “Is it Okay around here to provide a smart-ass answer in the very first response to an OP?” If you have a problem with it, report it. Last I heard, smart ass remarks so early in GQ threads were looked down upon and discouraged. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-this-is-a-sick-question-but-i-gotta-ask-sex-with-dead-people/517384/16 "2009-11-13T07:53:30Z")
> [@Covered\_In\_Bees](#): > > If you have a problem with it, report it. Last I heard, smart ass remarks so early in GQ threads were looked down upon and discouraged. No! I have no problem with it! I’ve held myself in abeyance many times, biding my time until a reasonable answer to the OP question has been provided before indulging in my own needs to be a smart-ass. I’m just happy to see I’m not the only one with this affliction. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-this-is-a-sick-question-but-i-gotta-ask-sex-with-dead-people/517384/17 "2009-11-13T11:01:05Z")
> [@fandango](#): > > I just gotta point out, doesn’t the sphincter usually relax at the point of death? Ditto the bladder muscles? Not always. I was witness to a death where the person’s sphincters showed no sign of relaxing even several hours after death. I also heard of other instances (from someone who worked for awhile in a morgue) where bodily wastes were a long time departing the corpse. You’d think death would be very straightforward in some ways, but there is still individual variation. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2009, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-this-is-a-sick-question-but-i-gotta-ask-sex-with-dead-people/517384/18 "2009-11-14T02:14:09Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > I was witness to a death where the person’s sphincters showed no sign of relaxing even several hours after death. I also heard of other instances (from someone who worked for awhile in a morgue) where bodily wastes were a long time departing the corpse. I’d have thought that without any feces ready for an immediate evacuation, relaxation of the sphincter wouldn’t have much of an effect? ---
**Author:** ![Race\_Harley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Race\_Harley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Race_Harley)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2009, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-this-is-a-sick-question-but-i-gotta-ask-sex-with-dead-people/517384/19 "2009-11-14T02:47:57Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Not always. > > I was witness to a death where the person’s sphincters showed no sign of relaxing even several hours after death. I also heard of other instances (from someone who worked for awhile in a morgue) where bodily wastes were a long time departing the corpse. > > You’d think death would be very straightforward in some ways, but there is still individual variation. With the combo of your username and the first part of your answer, I’d be surprised if you weren’t questioned yet by the local authorities! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2009, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-this-is-a-sick-question-but-i-gotta-ask-sex-with-dead-people/517384/20 "2009-11-14T02:49:05Z")
Um… no, sometimes the sphincter just doesn’t relax. From the former morgue worker he reported that people who froze to death wouldn’t have their final bowel movement until some time after they thawed. Sometimes quite awhile after they thawed. And in the case of the death I witnessed, without going into too many details, there were definitely feces present but they did not exit the body at death. After the body was removed from the bed where it lay for several hours there were still no bodily wastes on the sheets. Although it’s probably typical that bodily wastes leave the body clearly they do not in all cases.