http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2008/04/bestiality-ban.html
Bestiality ban passes Senate committee. The sordid case of Lucky the guide dog. And the House?
Sunrise Sen. Nan Rich's proposal to make it a crime to have sex with animals (yes, it's legal in Florida) finally got a hearing and a swift unanimous vote in the Senate Criminal Justice committee. Rich, a child's rights advocate, said that those who abuse animals (sexually and otherwise) are likely to do the same to kids.
The bill was precipitated by the sex assualt-related strangulation of a goat in Mossy Head (full story here), but other terrible tales have now surfaced.
Before the vote, Leon County prosecutor Michael Bauer sent Rich and other senators a letter recounting his troubles prosecuting the 2006 case of a blind guy who had sex with his male yellow Lab "Lucky." The man explained "freely about his regular sexual acitivities with his dog and said he would take the dog for a walk prior to sex to 'prevent fecal impact.'"
Bauer wrote that the case would have been easier to prosecute if a bestiality ban were in place. Ultimately, the man was convicted of a cruelty to animal charge and he got three years of sex-offender probation.
"The clear status of our state law at this point is that the FLorida Legislature has not prohibited bestiality in our State. Bestiality is currently legal in Florida!" Bauer wrote. "Please do your part to make this easy judgment call."
So far, the bill has yet to be heard in the House. We'll find out why.
Bestiality ban passes Senate committee. The sordid case of Lucky the guide dog. And the House?
Sunrise Sen. Nan Rich's proposal to make it a crime to have sex with animals (yes, it's legal in Florida) finally got a hearing and a swift unanimous vote in the Senate Criminal Justice committee. Rich, a child's rights advocate, said that those who abuse animals (sexually and otherwise) are likely to do the same to kids.
The bill was precipitated by the sex assualt-related strangulation of a goat in Mossy Head (full story here), but other terrible tales have now surfaced.
Before the vote, Leon County prosecutor Michael Bauer sent Rich and other senators a letter recounting his troubles prosecuting the 2006 case of a blind guy who had sex with his male yellow Lab "Lucky." The man explained "freely about his regular sexual acitivities with his dog and said he would take the dog for a walk prior to sex to 'prevent fecal impact.'"
Bauer wrote that the case would have been easier to prosecute if a bestiality ban were in place. Ultimately, the man was convicted of a cruelty to animal charge and he got three years of sex-offender probation.
"The clear status of our state law at this point is that the FLorida Legislature has not prohibited bestiality in our State. Bestiality is currently legal in Florida!" Bauer wrote. "Please do your part to make this easy judgment call."
So far, the bill has yet to be heard in the House. We'll find out why.
