Kirsten Drysdale, a journalist based in Australia, just gave birth to her third child with her husband, Chris. But there is a catch. Legally, her kid goes by the name "Methamphetamine Rules."
Apparently, the name slipped through the gaps during the submission procedure at the Registry of Births, Deaths, and Marriages in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. An agency representative assured News.com.au that they had strengthened their system after the incident.
Baby' Methamphetamine Rules'
According to the New York Post, Drysdale had been working on a piece for the ABC program WTFAQ, which investigates the solutions to the most pressing questions asked by viewers. And, it has been a common issue of discussion about what kind of legal names may be used for babies.
The TV presenter was pregnant with her second child at the time she did the research for the program. She was attempting to figure out what the Registrar's default name is for a kid if the parents' initial proposal is refused.
Since Drysdale was ready to give delivery and had never heard anything from the government agency's media team, she decided to take things into her own hands.
"We thought, what is the most outrageous name we can think of that will definitely not be accepted? 'Methamphetamine Rules.' We thought [it] would surely get rejected, and then when it does, we can find out what name the Registrar chooses." Drysdale recounted. "It was really just a lighthearted, curious attempt to get an answer to this question."
You can only imagine Drysdale's shock when her first online application using her son's fictitious identity was accepted very quickly.
A few weeks later, Drysdale's son's official birth certificate came in the mail, with "Methamphetamine Rules" as his given name.
What Drysdale did not understand was how it had gotten past the government's system. It could either be automated approval or maybe someone was overworked. One other possibility is that they mistook the word Methamphetamine for something Greek.
The Registrar recognized that this was a very unusual blunder, and the approval of Drysdale's son's genuine, normal name is expected shortly.
Registering Legal Names in Australia
A representative from NSW Births, Deaths, and Marriages stated the agency had reworked its procedure in light of the incident to prevent future errors like this.
They mentioned that names entered at birth are recorded permanently, regardless of any subsequent legal name changes. However, the Registrar is assisting Drysdale in changing the name because of this "highly unusual" case.
Offensive names and names that are counter to the general interest of the community are two examples of the types of names that are outlawed in the majority of Australia's states and territories. Some examples of prohibited language include the use of profanity, sexual references, or racial insults.
