Ducie Read online

Ducie

  Chris Freeman

  Royal law of Ducie Island - Section 32

  Maintenance of Demographic Stagnation

  By the order of the Gods and the current reigning monarch, the people of the island of Ducie without disdain or exception will adhere to the following prescription:

  The population of Ducie shall remain at a level of 61 persons or less without exception.

  - For the purpose of comprehension, the word ‘population’ refers to permanent residents of Ducie. The following will not be considered part of Ducie’s population count:

  1) Non-human species, including amphibians, birds, fish, insects, mammals, reptiles and plant life.

  2) Unsolicited arrival of human life on our shores for the purpose of either invasion or acquaintance. (Any such arrival however, should be addressed and disposed of as soon as is physically feasible.)

  - The return of our Saviour for his inevitable and glorious second coming.

  - A foetus contained wholly within another human being, from the point of conception to the moment the child leaves its carrier’s body entirely.

  All island residents must attend the Monarch Estate in person every Wednesday in order to sign the Ducie Demographic Register (DDR). Adults will also be expected to sign on behalf of children under 5 years old upon satisfactory presentation of the child. Anyone failing to sign the DDR before midnight on Wednesday will be declared missing. All island residents have the responsibility to inform the Estate of any reason they are aware of that another island resident may be unable to attend the weekly DDR. This includes, but is not limited to the reporting of deaths.

  Missing persons

  Anyone, failing to sign the DDR before midnight each Wednesday will be declared missing. For the purpose of population calculation, missing persons will be counted as part of Ducie’s population indefinitely. A Right To Birth (RTB) vacancy will only open up as a result of the missing person being confirmed as dead.

  CPT (Compulsory Pregnancy Testing)

  From the age of 12 years, all female residents shall undergo a CPT examination by the island doctor on the 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, 20th, 24th, 28th, 32nd, 36th, 40th, 44th and 48th week of every calendar, in order to detect for pregnancy. Upon the discovery of foetal presence not pre-agreed through the appropriate Right to Birth application process, the Element of Anti-Expansion shall be put into immediate force.

  The Element of Anti Expansion

  Upon the discovery of foetal presence not pre-agreed through the appropriate Right to Birth application process, the King shall call an island union at his estate or any location he sees fit. This meeting will take priority over any event scheduled to take place in any location at any time. Attendance is compulsory. The King will address his people and confirm their entire presence by way of an impromptu DDR roll call. Following the confirmation that all residents are present, the King will draw one name of an island resident at random. He or she who is drawn from the cup will be executed at a time specified by the King, but no later than 1 week from the date of the draw in order to restore the population to its rightful level. In the interest of the foetus the name of the Mother of the forthcoming child shall be removed from the draw.

  Population Vacancies and Right to Birth (RTB) Applications

  Population vacancies created by the death of one or more island residents are to be filled at the discretion of the current reigning monarch. In order to be considered for the right to fill the vacancy by reproducing, a couple must undergo an interview with the monarch to determine their suitability for RTB. The decision given will be final and any attempted appeal will be given no consideration,

  All of the laws within this doctrine are interpreted at the discretion of the current reigning monarch. Any situations arising that aren’t covered by the prescription above will be dealt with at the discretion of the current reigning monarch and used as a precedent to be included in future versions of the Ducie Law Doctrine.