The Conan Law: A Political Stunt Against Zoophiles?
Hello, dear German readers.
There has been no news regarding the so-called Conan Law in Argentina since July of last year, and updates seem unlikely anytime soon. The Conan Law is a proposed bill aimed at increasing penalties for animal abuse, named after one of President Javier Milei’s dogs. Argentina has an animal protection law with the LEY 14.346 from 1954 and a special penal law with the Ley 27330 from 2016 that prohibits dog races, because the losing dogs from dog races were often abandonend or killed. While animal welfare laws exist in many countries, this particular draft is controversial because it imposes harsher punishments for offenses against animals than for some crimes against humans.
One major concern is that the law seeks to humanize animals in legal terms. For example, certain forms of animal mistreatment could be punished more severely than acts of violence against people. Most notably, the minimum sentence for sexual acts involving animals would be equivalent to the minimum sentence for non-consensual sexual acts involving humans. This raises concerns about whether the bill is truly about protecting animals or if there is another motive behind it.
A key issue with the Conan Law is its origin. President Milei has demonstrated poor legislative skills, as seen with his failed “Omnibus Law” (Ley Ómnibus), a chaotic attempt of reform that you can read about here. Moreover, instead of consulting experts in his administration, he relies solely on his sister and personal advisor for political decisions, which leads to questionable policy making.
A journalist has pointed out a contradiction: Milei has previously stated that he does not interfere in people’s private lives, even making comments about bestiality in this context. So why is he suddenly pushing for such a strict law? Critics suggest this may be an attempt to counteract rumors about his alleged zoophilic and incestuous tendencies, linked to his close relationship with his sister and dogs. Whether these claims are true or not, the perception alone might have motivated him to take an extreme stance against zoophilia to deflect attention.
Argentina is currently facing severe economic instability, rising insecurity, and government scandals like the “$libra” and “Cryptogate” controversies. In this context, the Conan Law appears to be more of a distraction than a serious legal reform. Instead of focusing on the country’s real problems, Milei seems to be using this law as a political maneuver.
Ultimately, the Conan Law raises serious concerns about legal fairness. While protecting animals is important, laws should not impose penalties that are harsher than those for crimes against humans. This bill seems less about justice and more about Milei’s personal and political strategy. For now, we must wait to see if it moves forward or fades into obscurity like many of his other failed initiatives.