Bowman Acts

Initially conceived of and drafted by U.S. Senator James Bowman (with assistance from several other individuals), over a period of time between 1982 and 1985, the Bowman Acts are a series of legislative articles, approved and signed into law secretly by many of the nations of the world, which provide a legal framework for the day-to-day dealings, operations, and other concerns in relation with metahuman and extra-terrestrial interests and development on Earth (or Earth-247, as cataloged in the Daria Multiverse.) The initial signing by world powers of the Acts was on July 8; as a result, Bowman Day is considered an unofficial holiday for many in the metahuman community, and many metahumans gather in the New York area for celebrations.

The majority of the Bowman Acts are unrevealed at this time; however, one thing that is known is that there are definite protocols in place for. Another known section of the Acts is the 'mutual-defense treaty' portion, in which all nations have promised to join forces for the purpose of defending the entire planet from imminent threats of natures specifically stated in the Acts. There is also a statute in place that regulates the overt use in public of metahuman abilities (similar in concept and function to the Wizarding World's International Confederation of Wizards' Statute of Secrecy.) Other known statutes in the Acts are specific regulations dealing with the use of mystical and telepathic citizens and their abilities by private companies/corporations and the governments of Bowman Act-signatory countries, the conduct of mystical and telepathic citizens within their home societies and the specific laws and penalties involved with the illegal/unsanctioned usage of their abilities (the infamous 'Article Ten'), and standardization of various terminology used in dealing with metahumans.

The Bowman Acts also contain language that defines the legal rights and status of any metahuman citizens of any signatory nation, should they somehow come into situations where the Acts come into play, and the legal mechanisms that have been put into place to service these citizens. it should be noted that the rights, status and legal mechanisms put into play by a nation's signing of the Acts does not circumvent, restrict or remove any legal standing or civil rights that a citizen currently possesses and in many cases provides those citizens rights that they previously did not possess as regular citizens of their nation; for example, the rights guaranteed by 'Article Three' of the Bowman Act of 1982 is fundamentally similar to the rights afforded to American citizens in Miranda v. Arizona (the iconic  'Miranda rights '). Further rights guaranteed by 'Article Three include the right of a metahuman citizen to not have his or her powers permanently disabled or removed without a separate trial (if the person is sentenced to long-term incarceration) to determine if this is warranted, justifiable, and if doing so constitutes 'double jeopardy'; it also establishes a Commission for Oversight on Metahuman Rights and Legal Affairs.

Article Three of the 1983 Bowman Act provides protocols in order to handle the international problem of transient metahuman children with active abilities (identified as 'Ferals'). Because of the very real and ongoing possibility that such children may pose an active threat to the communities they exist within (due to simply acting out in order to survive) or expose the existence of metahuman beings to the general population, Article Three possesses a provision that instructs any signatory country to allocate resources to assist 'Ferals' when located, and provide them with appropriate physical, emotional, medical and remedial educational care and resources so at to lessen the possibilities that they will become potential threats. This provision also allows specific provisions for the relocation of such children, if deemed necessary for the best interests of the 'Feral', to a First World signatory nation that has appropriate means for such care and education; the wishes of the 'Ferals' involved (regardless of age) must be taken into consideration in such cases.

One of the more potentially sinister parts of the Acts is Article Twenty-Five of the 1982 Bowman Act, which allows (in a case of extreme emergency or eminent threat) for a metahuman citizen or citizens to be declared a ward of the government of said citizen's nation, allowing for that citizen to be remanded to the state, who will be responsible for the physical custody and care of said citizen  'until such time as said citizen(s) are no longer demonstrated to be a danger to themselves or the society in which it is hoped that they may be able to someday re-enter.'  Because of the clear violation of legal rights that application of Article Twenty-Five entails, any citizen who is detained under such status is immediately subject to both overview by the Bowman Oversight Committee, and given 'special detainee status' by the International Red Cross (both of whom must receive written notification of Article Twenty-Five activation status and return written confirmation of such action within twelve hours for every specific citizen detained under such circumstances. Failure to comply will be considered a clear violation of international law and dealt with by extremely harsh measures (as agreed upon by all signatory nation-stated upon acceptance of the Acts).

A curious statistic noted is that all countries that have hosted the Olympic Games since its resurgence in the modern era are also signatories to the Bowman Acts. It is also considered tradition that any country that hosts the Games becomes a signatory beforehand. On two occasions, nations that were believed certain to host the Games lost to other nations; this occurred because they refused to sign, and several nations.

In the United States, individuals with metahuman powers who receive any form of training through the U.S. Government (or have their training funded through government sources) in the use of their powers are required to study the Bowman Acts as part of said training.

Bowman Acts signatory nations (partial list)

 * Argentina
 * Australia
 * Bahamas
 * Bahrain (as a formality; has special laws in place in order to create 'open-city' stance towards metahumans)
 * Bhutan
 * Brazil (signed on in 2008 as a requirement for the Brazilian bid for Rio de Janeiro to win host city status for the 2016 Olympic Games]
 * Canada (the province of Quebec has a Special Dispensation that allows any metahuman to seek asylum there on that basis)
 * Cayman Islands
 * Chile
 * Cuba (as part of a secret deal with the U.S. for foreign aid and specialized medical care)
 * Dubai
 * European Union (all nations recognize the Acts upon joining)
 * Egypt
 * Finland
 * France
 * Germany (third nation to sign on)
 * Great Britain
 * Greece (first nation to sign on)
 * Iceland
 * India
 * Iran (will recognize the Acts in 2015 as part of ongoing diplomatic negotiations)
 * Israel
 * Italy
 * Jamaica
 * Japan
 * Kuwait (after 1991 Gulf War)
 * Liberia (enacted to allow for more foreign aid)
 * Libya (as a goodwill gesture to help stabilize US/Libyan relations)
 * Mexico
 * Federated States of Micronesia
 * Monaco
 * Morocco
 * Nepal
 * North Korea (signed in 2011 as part of a secret deal to receive badly-needed humanitarian aid)
 * The Netherlands
 * New Zealand
 * Norway
 * The Netherlands
 * People's Republic of China
 * Portugual
 * Russian Federation (formally renewed its signatory status after the dissolution of the Soviet Union)
 * Saudi Arabia
 * South Africa
 * South Korea
 * Spain
 * Sweden
 * Switzerland (as a formality; has special laws in place in order to preserve traditional neutrality stance)
 * Thailand
 * Trinidad and Tobago
 * Ukraine
 * United Arab Emirates
 * United States of America (second nation to sign on; special waivers are in place for the Los Angeles, Austin, Orlando, Seattle, Chicago and New York City Exclusion Zones; the Native American Tribes - following the precedents set in United States v. Nice and Worcester v. Georgia - possess a Special Dispensation that allows any metahuman to seek asylum upon their lands on that basis)
 * Uruguay
 * Vatican City (the Holy See possesses a Special Dispensation that allows any metahuman to seek asylum there on that basis)
 * Vietnam