Govt. and the Name of a Child

Former Member

In Germany, a Turkish couple just gave up their fight to officially register their newborn son as Osama bin Laden.

By German law, it is illegal "to allow parents to give their children names that might dishonor them or harm their dignity."

Whether or not a name may potentially harm a child, do you think it is right for the government to step in and tell these parents what they may or may not name their child?

More here

and here.

Former Member

It is none of the government's business to tell parents what they can or cannot name their child.

It's a privacy issue. The government shouldn't interfere in family matters, which is what this is.

Where would you draw the line? I heard of someone yesterday whose real name is *sniggers*, Ben Dover! Is that in bad taste? Wouldn't that kid get picked on mercilessly in school?

Former Member

If Im not mistaken, this is a vestige of policies enacted in the post WWII era to officially dissuade people from naming their children Adolf. Not sure of the validity of this as I only heard personal testimonies of older German friends and acquaintances who indicated that there had been a backlash following the war against names reminiscent of those who had formerly held power during the Nazi era.

It's anyone's guess i suppose. I couldnt imagine anyone living in the West could be cruel enough to subject their child to a name like OBL, the other school kids would likely pound him into the pavement just for having the name.

Former Member

Perhaps someone with knowledge of French law can confirm this, but I believe in France it is illegal for parents to give kids stupid names. Not because they might want to name the kid after a terrorist/dictator, but because that kid will experience hell for the totality of his school life if he/she is given a stupid name. It's a form of child cruelty really.

Had Paula Yates lived in France, she probably wouldn't have been allowed to name her daughter Heavenly Couching Tiger Lilly Hidden Dragon, or whatever the hell the poor kid is called.

Former Member

In fact, AFAIK, in France, parents must choose their child's name from a list of approved names.

As for the morality of this, well I'm not sure. A balance between the rights of the child, and government interference in family life.

Former Member

In Denmark you also need an approval when naming a child. It even went as far as a mother needing to win a lawsuit to call her son christophpher with double ph. So I guess that it's quite strict.
I was lucky though. My name in Danish means number or present tense of speak...

Former Member

What sort of misguided people would call their child Osama Bin Laden?
I think the government was, and always will be right in cases like this, for the child's sake.

Former Member

I agree with Whowhere.

Who would want to call their child such a name? The govt. should step in to protect the child.

Former Member

They also have a name rule here in Belgium. No doubt its like that in most places in Europe. Maybe not Italy

Former Member

Originally posted by Whowhere
What sort of misguided people would call their child Osama Bin Laden?
I think the government was, and always will be right in cases like this, for the child's sake.

While I agree that these are obviously misguided people, I repectfully disagree with you.

This is a family matter. Those two misguided idiots created this person from their bodies, the woman carried the kid and gave birth to it, they should be able to give it whatever name they want to. Period.

The government isn't going to raise this child. The government doesn't care for this child like its parents do. While its obvious these people aren't the the sharpest, you would have to prove to me that they don't love this child before I would agree that they shouldn't be have control over what he or she should be called for the rest of his life.

For God's sake, kids get teased and bullied for any number of reasons, most of which they don't have control over. Maybe the kid will be the biggest child in his class and will beat up anyone who teases him. Maybe he'll be the most popular. Maybe he'll revel in being the outcast. We don't know how he'll be treated.

Former Member

It takes a special kind of stupidity to name your child after Osama, but I agree with Alessandro. The Govt shouldn't intervene.

Former Member

Yeah but don't you consider that by intervening you will save that child years of serious abuse and bullying? You would be preventing cruelty, no different to what social workers do every day with the full blessing of most people.

Former Member

So how many other things should the Govt outlaw?

Homosexual parents (we've had that discussion before), mixed marriages, people with ginger hair having children, children being overweight?

I undertand your point that it can open the child to bullying, but as I've said beofre (and as Alessandro said here) children will find any reason to bully other children.

Former Member

Originally posted by Aladdin
Yeah but don't you consider that by intervening you will save that child years of serious abuse and bullying? You would be preventing cruelty, no different to what social workers do every day with the full blessing of most people.

You know that do you? Can we ban all names relating to anyone who ever committed crimes? What about calling your child Fred, or Peter? Osama bin Laden is a silly name to give a child at this point, but it was a name first, and a terrorist second. There must be other Osama bin Laden's in the world. Would we stop them entering the country because of that coincidence?

And as for bullying, maybe. Maybe he'll be in a class of kids called Adolf, Hermann, Rasputin and George W. Who knows? Maybe he'll be in a class with a couple of kids called Brooklyn and Romeo. Who's going to get bullied then?