Animal Law Podcast #14: Supreme Court Holds Bestiality isn’t Really All That Illegal in Canada

We’re headed to Canada for Episode 14 of the Animal Law Podcast for a discussion of, yes, bestiality, and a rather surprising decision by the Canadian Supreme Court. I am joined by two superb Canadian animal law attorneys, Camille Labchuk, the executive director of Animal Justice, and Peter Sankoff, a law professor with the University of Alberta Faculty of Law.

They will discuss the Court’s decision in R. v D.L.W., a case in which they were actively involved as intervenors, and they will also explain why that decision, though, on the surface, disappointing, actually demonstrates why animals are making headway in the Canadian courts.

I’ll also be talking about the Oregon Supreme Court’s recent decision in State v Newcomb, which involves the question of whether the defendant’s property rights extend so far as to prohibit the State from drawing blood — without a warrant — from her emaciated dog in order to diagnose him. As it turned out, the diagnosis was starvation, which led to criminal charges for the defendant. Hailed by many as a groundbreaking decision regarding the status of animals as property, this case actually may not go as far as some hope, but it is certainly still a step in the right direction.

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