Societies have proscribed bestiality, or sex between humans and nonhuman animals, since the earliest recorded legal codes. In the early American colonies, religious prohibitions against bestiality provided the grounds for punishing those who engaged in such acts.
In the 1800s, Henry Bergh imported the animal welfare approach to the United States, which modernised the legislative treatment of animals in the country. Until recently, however, many laws in the U.S. have been outdated and vague and have utilised moralistic terminology.
Since the 1960s, a growing body of literature has developed suggesting that individuals who harm animals may also interpersonally offend. This concept, known as the Link, has served as a major motivation for advocates to promote new legislation criminalising bestiality, to modernise old state statutes, and to expand penalties for individuals convicted of having sex with animals.
Unfortunately, data supporting the Link between bestiality and interpersonal violence are limited and of questionable generalisability to the broad public. The Link’s weaknesses can assist in guiding further research.
This article summarises the history of bestiality law, the current state of bestiality legislation in the United States, the body of Link-related literature on bestiality and interpersonal violence and other problematic sexual behaviours, and the empirical weaknesses and needs revealed by this legislation.
Animals (Basel). 2022 Jun 12;12(12):1525. doi: 10.3390/ani12121525.
1Martinez Detention Facility, Martinez, CA 94553, USA.
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