Would Eating Human Placenta Be Considered Cannibalism?

Question

If someone were to eat a human placenta, would that be cannibalism? What would you call that? Just a strange thought.

Answer 1

omg! what a strange question, just the thought is sickening

Answer 2

I agree with Jessica, not cannibalism - just gross.

Answer 3

yes, i would say it's cannibalism because it is human tissue.  it is considered an organ in medicine.....just because no one had to die to produce it does not make it any less of a human tissue.

but i agree with the others in that it would also be classified as gross, lol.

Answer 4

Technically, yes.

Answer 5

Cannibalism is defined as: The act or practice of eating human flesh by mankind.

So, yes.  It is human flesh and therefore is defined as cannibalism.  I've heard of people doing this for religious reasons before.  To each their own I guess....

Answer 6

i guess it is, but it is not that bad. Some cultures do this for religion and some women do it to prevent post part depression. Women that have had post-part depression may take the placenta in pills (yes they make them into pills now a days) so it does not happen with the new baby. It had good results and that is why people do it, because it is not just a myth, it actully works. Dogs and cats eat their placenta.

Answer 7

You know many cultures actually practice this, right? Its considered a sacred delicacy among some tribes, usually eaten by the mother and father (after cooking, of course)

Answer 8

Yes, since the definition of cannibalism is "the act of a human eating the flesh of other humans," and the placenta is, by definition "a membranous vascular organ that develops in female mammals during pregnancy."

Answer 9

Placenta is very rich in nutrients that a new mother needs, so it is eaten by many animals. It is also eaten by many women in many cultures around the world for this reason.

I guess it could be considered cannibalism, but you're not desecrating the dead or murdering somebody by eating it, so there really are no ethical objections to it.

Answer 10

I don't think it is cannibalism as it would be more like eating an organ (heart, liver, kidney, etc).  When I had my daughter, I had a midwife and did a "natural" childbirth course and through that I learned that it is common in some cultures to eat the placenta after birth because of the abundance of nutrients.  Personally, I could never do that, but some of the girls in the group were in favour of taking it home, burying in the ground, and planting a tree on it (it will nourish the tree) to commemorate the birth of their child.  I let the hospital dispose of mine.

Answer 11

The placenta provides oxygenated blood and nutrients to the unborn fetus during normal gestation... so I guess technically, we were all cannibals in-utero.

In some cultures, it is customary for new mothers to eat placenta after delivering it - it's quite nutrient dense.  Several species of mammals eat the placenta after giving birth.

Personally, I wouldn't consider it cannibalism any more than is eating human excrement.  Placenta is a normal passenger of childbirth, and is (otherwise) useless waste after delivery of the baby.

Answer 12

Considering it is just the placenta, no. If it were an embryo, yes.  I guess you would just call it gross, not cannibalism.

Answer 13

THATS GROSS