Mutant Registration Act
| Legislation: Mutant Registration Act | |
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| First Seen: | X-Men |
The Mutant Registration Act was a proposed bill in the United States Congress that suggested mandatory registration for individuals possessing the "x-gene". Sponsored by Senator Robert Kelly and supported by President McKenna, the bill met with significant debate during its inception. Noted researchers in the fields of genetics and medicine such as Charles Xavier and Jean Grey spoke publicly opposing the Act.
While the Mutant Registration Act passed through the House of Representatives by a narrow margin, it did not attain the necessary votes in the Senate. This unexpected defeat was accredited to Senator Kelly's seemingly spontaneous reversal of his position on the Act, and the ensuing political disarray. In truth, Senator Kelly had been killed as a result of Magneto's experiments, and had been replaced by Mystique.
Even though it was not passed, the Mutant Registration Act is still a "hot button" issue for politicians, both at the federal and local level. Activists on both sides of the issue still express vehement opinions in support and opposition of registration. One proposal that has been suggested (although not beyond a local level) by the Friends of Humanity is instituting a "reservation" system for mutants, not unlike that which was instituted by the US government for Native Americans.
Outside of the United States, other countries have enacted similar legislation. Canada's Department H manages their mutant registration, in accordance with the Alpha Flight program.
