A peak into our future?
Published January 25, 2036
(The Future Herald)-- Bridgette Gaffee and Byron Jessup, both of Dale City, Ca, have been found not guilty of the death and dismemberment of Gaffee's eight month old son. Gaffee, with the help of Jessup, her neighbor and a local doctor, cut up her son and placed him in a trash bag beside her curb. His body was discovered by Republic Services when they were doing their weekly pickup at Gaffee's address.
"Bridgette came to me a couple weeks ago and said that Kody (her son) was too much of a burden and wasn't developed enough for her to continue to care for him. She let me know he was also interfering with her dream to go back to school. I went to her house to observe him. Kody was completely dependent on her, could only really suck his thumb and was doing nothing to care for himself. He couldn't even roll over yet! I completely agreed with Bridgette. He was a burden and since he is a minor under her care I knew she was making the best decision for her family."
Police weren't too shocked this happened in Dale City, which is outside of San Fransisco, Ca.
Chief of Police, Justin Roberts, told the Press, "In California, we have laws that let parents do what they feel is best for their family planning as long as their child is still a minor. Once a person has reached 18, they are closer to complete mental development and can be less of a burden on society. We are disappointed this happened, but nothing in our jurisdiction allows us to prosecute Ms. Gaffee more than we have. Upon her release from house arrest this morning, we have put her in touch with some local schools that will hopefully accept her into their programs. We are hoping through more education Ms. Gaffee will choose a different path for her 13 and 15 year old. We realize they aren't fully developed humans either so it's still a "wait and see" case for them."
In the interrogation with police, Gaffee admitted to suffocating Kody before she dismembered his body. "I knew that cutting him into pieces would probably inflict more suffering so I suffocated him first until his heart stopped." Supporters of Gaffee are commending her for taking the steps that she did to ensure Kody's suffering was minimal.
A spokesperson for Gaffee's family, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of public outcry, said she is sad the family didn't support Gaffee more when she asked for help. "We knew Bridgette was in a bad place, but we figured surely Kody's sweet face would be enough to protect him. He was a precious baby. We are heartbroken. I wish we could go back to a time before the FPA was passed."
In 2035, California passed the "Family Planning Act" (FPA) that has been called controversial by some states. In short, FPA removes the burden from the state to help decide care for minors and places the sole decision of family planning on the parents of minors. Anyone under 18 in California is considered a minor. Parents can "expire" any minor in their home as long as reasons meet the following criteria under the law: "A) minor is a financial burden, B) minor is physically or developmentally delayed, C) parent no longer wants to be a parent, D) minor was conceived in a location not ideal, and/or E) Other." Californians originally had pause for the "Other" clause, but when lawmakers assured them that it's really no one's business except the parents why a minor should be expired it made enough sense for the law to pass.
Many lawmakers celebrated the law passing because it meant less financial burden on the state. "We all know most minors don't work or pay into state taxes. If anything, they are a tax relief for families. This is a moment of celebration and liberation for our state," State Senator Lila Ingram. "I hope more states will adopt this mentality."
When Gaffee's file was reviewed, she had checked "A" and "C" (under the FPA) stating she conceived Kody at home rather than at the beach where she originally wanted to get pregnant. "It has haunted me ever since," Gaffee wrote. "I need to move on in my life and Kody was a constant reminder of dreams not come true."
The only reason Gaffee was placed under house arrest was because she didn't file for the proper "permit of expiration" before cutting Kody's life short.
Gaffee's church and family are in mourning for Kody, but at time of this publication no action steps have been taken to ensure her 13 year old and 15 year old are protected. They seem apathetic and defeated. Supporters of the FPA are rallying behind Gaffee and Jessup who has received backlash from some for his participation even though he wasn't Kody's parent. Jessup is currently still under house arrest and awaiting trial.
A Go-Fund Me page has been set up to help Gaffee cover her expenses incurred while she was under house arrest and couldn't work. Additionally, the fundraiser will be used to cover her application costs for school. At time of publication, $2378 of the $10000 goal has been met.
Critics of the recently enacted FPA law point back to laws passed in the mid 20th century allowing abortion to begin in the United States. "It was then we began to see the decline of human value and the birth of the #MeFirst and #MeBeforeYou movement," said a local critic.
