A new animal protection law in Spain was approved by Congress on February 9, 2023. It was proposed by the Spanish Minister of Social Affairs, Ione Belarra. writes about it free digital.
In other words, sexual intercourse with animals, in other words, sexual intercourse with animals in Spain is no longer considered a crime as it used to be. Under the reform of the Penal Code on Cruelty to Animals, sexual intercourse with animals is possible and not considered a crime, provided that animals are not harmed.
Earlier, in 2015, Congress passed a Penal Code reform aimed at strengthening the penalty for cruelty to animals and sexual exploitation of animals for the first time in Spanish history.
At the time, lawmakers noted that “animals are not competent to consent like children, so animal sex is classified as a new crime involving the sexual exploitation of animals, regardless of the seriousness of the harm done.”
From now on, sexual intercourse with an animal will only be punished if the animal is injured.
Thus, the sexual exploitation of animals was excluded from the Spanish Penal Code as an independent crime. From now on, only the sex will be punished if it has harmed the animal. It was noted that the legislative initiative belonged to the United We Can party, which previously argued that dogs, cats and other animals should be considered intelligent beings or sentient beings.
At the same time, the law as a whole tightens the punishment for cruel treatment and killing of animals. For example, in Spain, a person who kills a rat that has entered his house faces a prison sentence of between twelve and twenty-four months.
It threatens a person with a fine of two hundred thousand euros if his dog becomes pregnant and is not registered as a breeder.
In general, all penalties for offenses resulting in the injury or death of any vertebrate animal are aggravated.