Freedom to Cannibalize »
In Germany, a computer expert recently recruited, ate and killed someone he had found on the Internet. Once dead, Mr. Meiwes then ate some more. Apparently the "victim" in this story participated in the process by eating part of his own body. Prior to his death, naturally, and of course he didn't participate in any further self-consumption after that point.
I'm left wondering about this case, because I can't seem to see the crime. Now please don't get me wrong. I'm not particular interested in eating anyone, whether that person joins me or not. But if the "victim" in this case agreed, if they expressed their support by eating their own flesh, why is it that Mr. Meiwes would be guilty?
According to the article linked above, Mr. Meiwes will likely be tried under a "sexual satisfaction" law, as cannibalism isn't technically illegal. Were he in the United States, I'd suspect Mr. Meiwes would be guilty of some form of assisted euthanasia, and I don't understand why the government won't allow that either.
What is a "sexual satisfaction" law, anyway? Are you not allowed to get satisfaction from sex while in Germany? Or is it only illegal if the satisfaction comes from consuming another person's genitalia, so that if the two had dined on pinky fingers, it would have been okay? Perhaps it's only a problem if this happens in the process of the sex act, in which case I wonder again why the government of any country thinks that they should be able to dictate normalcy within a relationship between two consenting adults.
Even if one of them isn't around anymore because of the actions.
