Illegal To Do This With Your Mouth In Utah

There is a Utah law on the books that I think should be applied in a broader way and I’m willing to sign a petition to get in on the ballot. The law is found in the Utah Criminal Code 76-9-705 which designates that anyone who bites someone during a boxing match is subject to a class A misdemeanor. 

I don’t know how this law got on the books. Perhaps it was there after the Mike Tyson vs Evander Holyfield where the former boxer bit off a piece of his opponent's ear. It was traumatizing to watch, not to mention how Holyfield must have felt, and maybe that’s how the Utah law came about. 

Whatever the reason, I think it is a good policy. I knew a kid who lived in my neighborhood growing up who liked to bite. In fact, everyone knew Robby was a biter. His house was full of great toys, and I was often invited to play, but knowing Robby was there made me dread visiting. 

So, let’s go ahead and ban all biting. I can’t think of a single instance where biting another person would be considered a positive. Competitive eating might have the occasional misplaced chomp and may not require giving the contestant a misdemeanor. Maybe you leave room for it being unintentional and give them a warning.  

I don’t think banning biting in boxing matches is a silly law at all and I think all such actions should be outlawed. If the politicians could take a minute and stop biting each other figuratively, I would like to get this done. I don’t know where Robby is today, but I bet he would sign on to some sort of petition as well. I’m pretty sure he’s over it by now.