Hold Up! Cannibalism is NOT Illegal in Wisconsin?!?
I found something very strange when I was scrolling through Tik Tok the other day.
Sometimes we like to share stories about whether or not certain things are legal or illegal here in the Midwest.
Sometimes these strange things end up surprising us or it puts an end to debates that we see all the time on social media.
However, there's one thing that I thought was incredibly illegal everywhere in the country and it turns out it's not...not legal. That "thing" is cannibalism.
I know, that sounds kind of complicated but let me explain.
Let me be straight forward with you...my Google history is looking very strange right now.
Cannibalism HAS to be illegal everywhere, right? If they were up to these sorts of things in normal society, they'd get into SO much trouble for it.
In Wisconsin, that's not necessarily the case.
Wait! Wait! Wait! Isn't Cannibalism Just Illegal Everywhere?
No, not at all.
Murder of course is illegal in every single state in America and all across the globe. It's one of the only things we can all seem to agree on.
Murder is bad.
That seems pretty obvious, right?
However, the act of cannibalism isn't explicitly illegal in 49 states.
According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, the only state that has actually outlawed the consumption of human flesh is Idaho.
There is ONE instance where it would be legal in that state,
“...extreme life-threatening conditions as the only apparent means of survival.”
In Idaho, cannibalism is punishable by 14 years in prison.
So, while cannibalism is not explicitly LEGAL in Wisconsin it's not ILLEGAL either.
So, What Exactly Is Illegal?
While the exact "act" of cannibalism is not illegal, there are laws in Wisconsin that would hold you back from committing the act.
First thing's first, let's get the obvious out of the way...murder is illegal.
However, HYPOTHETICALLY let's say someone consents to being consumed after death. According to reports, even if consent is given, the person who eats them could still face criminal or civil depending on different laws in each state.
Wisconsin does have some laws on the books about the mutilation of a corpse. This act is considered a Class F Felony, which would see you get up to twelve years in prison or a paying a fine upwards of $25,000.
The exact statute reads, "...whoever mutilates, disfigures or dismembers a corpse, with intent to conceal a crime or avoid apprehension, prosecution or conviction for a crime, is Guilty of a Class F Felony."
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