In the United States, we have a lot of laws that make no sense at all and probably should have been abolished years ago. For example, in Alabama did you know it’s illegal to have an ice cream cone in your back pocket? Who even stores ice cream cones in their back pocket? Who even stores ice cream cones outside of the box in the pantry?
Here the weirdest laws across the globe.
1. In Saudi Arabia, There Is No Minimum Age for Marriage
The country’s religious leader, Sheikh Abdulaziz Alsheikh recently rejected a proposal to raise the minimum age to 15.
2. In the Philippines, You Can Be Charged with “Unjust Vexation”
Which is just as it sounds. You can be charged with pissing people off for no apparent reason.
3. In France, You Can Marry Dead People
In 2009 the French Courts allowed a woman to marry her partner after he died two days before their wedding.
4. In Britain, It Is Illegal to Handle Salmon in Suspicious Circumstances
Only the Brits know what constitutes “Suspicious Circumstances.”
5. In Hong Kong, a Wife Can Kill Her Cheating Husband, so Long as She Does It with Her Bare Hands
Sounds like the Hong Kong legislature are challenging their wives to seek retribution on their own.
6. Vladimir Putin Made It Illegal to Tell Kids Gay People Exist
Russia is clearly operating under the see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil law.
7. In Britain, Allowing Your Pet to Mate with a Royal’s Pet Is an Offense
God forbid you let your peasant dog breed with Will and Kate’s royal dog Lupo.
8. Bangladeshi Kids Can Be Imprisoned for Cheating on Exams
If only we all took our education systems that seriously. Then again, I’d probably be doing 25 to life if this was implemented where I took my high school exams.
9. In Switzerland, It Is Illegal to Flush the Toilet After 10 p.m.
This is presumably to do with noise complaints? This then brings up an important question: Just how loud are the toilets in Switzerland?
10. It Is Illegal to Die in the House of Parliament in England
Feel like dying during a parliamentary debate? TOUGH. Go die outside in the cold, where you won’t be disturbing parliamentary discussion.
11. In Sweden, Paying for a Prostitute Is Illegal, but Prostitution Is Legal
The idea is to criminalize the buying of sex, but not to criminalize the selling of it. A real feminist undertone to this law.
12. In Australia, Men Are Allowed to Cross-Dress, as Long as Their Dresses Are Not Strapless
Australians clearly have more of a problem with too much male skin showing, than cross-dressing.
13. In China, A Person Must Be Intelligent To Go To College
Well, it’s a good thing I didn’t apply to China for college. The rejection would have been soul-crushing.
14. Traffic Fines in Finland Are Dependent on the Offender’s Income
A Finnish Businessman was once caught doing 65 mph in a 50 mph zone. In the U.S., that would be a fine of a couple of hundred bucks. This guy got a fine of €54,000 ( $57,100) as his declared income was €6.5 m a year.
15. In Greece, Police Are Allowed to Arrest Anyone Suspected of Being HIV Positive
When reading this, my next question was “and do what with them?” After you arrest someone suspected of being HIV positive, what do you do with them? Apparently, they’re allowed to force HIV testing to support their suspicions. Hold on though, how do you even suspect someone is HIV positive?
A lot of these laws seem old and outdated. With some, you can understand why they haven’t been repealed or abolished. The time it would take to put them through the legislative system certainly wouldn’t be worth it. Other laws seem steeped in tradition, hence the reason they haven’t been abolished. Whatever the case, all of these are straight-up weird.
Featured image via Pixabay
