The proposed new wordings led to speculation that, because it only criminalises sexual acts that cause injury to animals, those that do not would be permitted. Those claims were amplified by far-right media outlets and the national-conservative Vox party, reports left-wing news service elDiario.es.
The website describes the claims as a “hoax”. It notes that bestiality specifically has in fact never been criminalised in Spain, only (since 2015) “sexual exploitation” of animals, wording that suggests acts for economic gain.
As such, the new bill actually strengthens the law by expanding it to cover all “acts of a sexual nature” that cause harm, suggests elDiario.es.
Fact-checking service Newtral agrees that the purpose of the bill is to strengthen the protection of animals from sexual acts. But it cites legal and animal-rights experts who suggest that the wording of the law should be changed to more clearly criminalise any such acts.
