Wait! Wait! Wait! Is Cannibalism Illegal In Iowa?

My Google search history is getting a bit out there.

One of my favorite new shows on television right now is 'Yellowjackets' which is on Showtime and Paramount+.

It follows the story of this high school soccer team from New Jersey on their way to the National competition. On their flight to the game, the plane goes down and they crash in the Canadian wilderness.

They spend 19 months out there, and the show jumps back and forth between present day and the '90s during their time stranded.

While out there, strange things happen to the girls and...a bit of cannibalism does take place.

This is NOT the show to watch while chowing down on a burger or steak.

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I've been re-watching the show recently and got thinking...

Is cannibalism legal in Iowa?

Cannibalism HAS to be illegal everywhere, right? If they were up to these sorts of things in normal society they'd get into SO much trouble for it.

In Iowa, that's not necessarily the case.

Wait! Wait! Wait! Isn't Cannibalism Just Illegal Everywhere?

No, not at all.

Murder of course is illegal in every single state in America and all across the globe. It's one of the only things we can all seem to agree on.

Murder is bad.

That seems pretty obvious, right?

However, the act of cannibalism isn't explicitly illegal in 49 states.

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, the only state that has actually outlawed the consumption of human flesh is Idaho.

There is ONE instance where it would be legal in that state,

“...extreme life-threatening conditions as the only apparent means of survival.”

In Idaho, cannibalism is punishable by 14 years in prison.

So, while cannibalism is not explicitly LEGAL in Iowa it's not ILLEGAL either.

So, What Exactly Is Illegal?

While the exact "act" of cannibalism is not illegal, there are laws here in the Hawkeye State that would prohibit you from committing this unspeakable act.

Of course murder is illegal. Duh!

According to, Iowa Code § 708.14 the abuse of a corpse is considered illegal.

What exactly is "abuse of a corpse" you might just be wondering...

There are multiple different acts that fall under this umbrella.

If you were to mutilate, dismember, or disfigure a corpse with "the intent to conceal a crime," that falls into this criminal offense.

The same thing applies if one were to hide or bury a dead body with similar intentions.

In addition, if a person were to not disclose the "known location of a corpse with the intent to conceal a crime," that would be considered abuse of a corpse.

All of this is considered a class C felony in the Hawkeye State and would result in up to ten years in prison and/or fines of upwards of $10,000, according to reports.

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