A sick friend and I have a no-bet riding on this. Are there any laws, U.S. or otherwise, that specifically outlaw eating another human being (assuming, of course, that said person was not killed specifically for eating and that all other matters involved were above board)? I read somewhere that a few years ago, a couple ate the wife’s placenta after she gave birth. I don’t recall whether any laws were broken in that instance or not, although it would seem to me that the organ could reasonably be considered her property. Anybody know?
It is in Colorado, at least. The only person in the US ever convicted of cannibalism was there. His name was Alfred Packer. The creators of South Park made a musical about him entitled Cannibal! The Musical.
I believe that most areas have laws against what’s typically referred to as “abuse of a corpse”. This covers a lot of ground, but it’s a misdemeanor, and generally used against people that can’t be charged with actually having PRODUCED the corpse. Some people in N.E. Ohio that have been charged with this:
Young ladies who gave birth to stillborn babies in secret which they procede to drop in the nearest dumpster, or bury in the park.
A man who’s mother died at home. He simply stored away in her bedroom.
A man who was actually charged with a young lady’s strangulation death, but had the “a.o.a.c” charge added after he stored her body in the trunk of a car, which he left parked on the street.
I think that eating the arm of a dead person who you just happened across during your morning jog might net you some charges.
Illegal, sure. Delicious, you bet!
You’d think butchering would be the problem though, it isn’t… it’s storage. It can spoil in a matter of a few hours if your packages aren’t sealed correctly.
And forget fava beans and a nice ciante… ALWAYS marinate (I can’t stress that enough) slap it on the grill, cook it until the internal temp is 140F then top with a nice mushroom sauce and caramelized onions. YUMMY!!
If it’s legal or not is another story… it depends on the region your in… I suppose.
Of course… I AM a Roosevelt Elk…
The secret’s in the sauce.
I believe placenta eating, which is a form of cannabalism is allowed in many places in the United States. Don’t know about corpse eating.
There are very strict rules about disposal and use of human corpses… I’m sure eating one would be one of the more difficult things to do legally.
It’s pretty clear that Packer actually murdered at least some of the men he ate, so there was plenty to charge him with regardless of his preferred cosmestibles. I haven’t studied the question, but like other posters I imagine it’d be covered under laws requiring the proper handling of human remains.
–Cliffy
Hm. Is placenta eating cannibalism? I doubt it, since the donor is alive. Otherwise biting your nails would be cannibalism. On the other hand, would eating a severed limb be cannibalism, even if the donor were alive? I suppose. I guess if you can remove it from the person without trauma, it’s not cannibalism.
If your looking to open a restaurant, I’d say Idaho is out:
Idaho Code
Title 18. Crimes and Punishments
Chapter 50. Mayhem
Section 18-5003 Cannibalism defined – Punishment.
Packer was convicted of murder and manslaughter, not cannibalism-
http://www.museumtrail.org/AlferdPacker.asp
The Alferd Packer Grill at University of Colorado, Boulder, is a great place to chow down! But they had to stop having Packer Days, a kind of sick Spirit Week where students would compete by eating… questionable… things!
Here is a copy of the death sentence-
http://www.archives.state.co.us/packer.html#judge
And some other interesting Packet info-
Messed-up cannibal news from Chuck Shepherd’s News of the Weird:
This may also bring to and end the great “Snuff Film” debate.
Cecil has discussed eating placenta.
What about auto-cannibalism? (And I ain’t talking about accidently swallowing a fingernail you just chewed off).
What about involuntary cannibalism (Donner-esque or otherwise)?
What about bulimic cannibals, who don’t actually digest anything?
What if, to skirt the “a.o.a.c.” laws, the victim is consumed alive?
What about consumption of a shark or bear or something which had recently eaten a person?
What about consumption of transgenic animals expressing 1 human gene? 100 human genes? 1000 human genes?
There are so many grey areas!
…and this is sick, sick, sick!!
This very subject was discussed not long ago. I feel obliged to link