It seems that Dutch open-mindedness towards sex only goes so far. By putting forward a new law that criminalises necrophilia, the Dutch government reminds us that the phrase “love who you want to love” is limited to the living (as it should be).
Yep, we bet you didn’t know that getting down and dirty with a corpse was actually legal until recently. Surprisingly, the current law failed to address this “criminally degrading behaviour”, so the Ministry of Justice and Security is amending the current framework.
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If the new law is passed, it will be forbidden to physically damage, take photos of sexual nature, and perform sexual acts with a corpse.
(I mean, we thought those things were implied in society, but apparently, some people have to be told?)
Minister of Justice and Security YeÅŸilgöz-Zegerius said himself: “I think we should send a clear signal that sexual behaviour and also other very drastic forms of (physical) desecration are not accepted in our society. The suffering that can be caused to the next of kin is great.”
The most goth… hobby?
Minister Yeşilgöz-Zegerius requested research into criminalising the desecration of a corpse. This just means everyday things like, you know, hiding a corpse, physically damaging a corpse, taking photos or fingerprints of a corpse, buying or selling (parts of) a corpse, and the classic necrophilia.
Those are just things to do on a slow and boring Sunday and aren’t messed up or weird at all…right?
Well, the research established that dead bodies have a special legal status and need protection. There is some current legal protection against desecrating a corpse, but it doesn’t consider enough of the pain inflicted or the respect that the deceased deserves.
Six months in the making
The House of Representatives asked the government to include necrophilia as a crime in the Penal Code all the way back in January of this year.
Who knew it would take so much convincing to just… get people to leave a corpse alone?
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We do wonder how necrophilia managed to slip through the legal cracks for so long. It seems almost comical that a society so quick to embrace progressive ideas failed to recognise the need to protect the dignity and rights of the deceased.
All jokes aside, we want to say: while we find some humour in the situation, we also acknowledge the importance of this legal update.
Our legal system should protect the vulnerable, even after they’ve passed. Making necrophilia a crime is another step towards upholding human dignity, even in death.
Did you know the Netherlands was so… lenient about necrophilia? Let us know in the comments below!