Taking an unconventional and perhaps controversial position, the Hong Kong Law Reform Commission has suggested necrophilia should be illegal.
The rather reasonable recommendation was among several published yesterday as part of the latest instalment of a three-part review of the city’s sexual offenses started in 2012.
The consultation paper suggested broadening legislation covering incest, and bringing in a law to punish voyeurism, and abolishing remaining homosexual sex offenses on Hong Kong’s statute books.
As for necrophilia — the act of having sex with a dead person — the committee noted Hong Kong, unlike many countries, had not actually criminalized it.
“It may come as a surprise to people that necrophilia or sexual activity with a dead human body is not a criminal offence in Hong Kong,” states the paper.
“Necrophilia is an insult to the deceased, especially if there is sexual intercourse with the dead body. Such act should be outlawed.”
Other things that should be specifically outlawed according to the report: observing or recording people engaging in intimate acts without their consent for sexual purposes.
The committee said such creating a new law to punishing such acts would be “a benefit to the community.” No kidding.
Also, the committee suggested broadening statutes covering incest to include aunties and uncles who engaged in sexual activity with nephews or nieces who are blood relatives.
Incest laws should also include adoptive parents, they wrote, finding no justification for a distinction between natural and adoptive parents, when it came to protecting children.
The committee did note, however, that extending the law to adoptive parents would give rise to other considerations, like:
“If the adoptive parent and adoptive child are consenting adults should that constitute an offence?”
Also: “Should there be an age limit in respect of sexual relations with an adoptive child?
These matters, they said, should be dealt with during the three month public consultation period, which began upon the paper’s publication.
Over to you public.
