A Swedish couple has been fined by the Tax Agency for failing to give their 16-month-old son a name. The boy’s father has been forced to pay SEK 4,000 (USD 542), while the mother has been charged SEK 2,000 (USD 271) for denying their offspring the most basic of human rights.
The couple, who live in Nassjo, southeast of central Jonkoping, have been sent various letters reminding them that by law, every child must be given at least one name within three months of birth.
“If a child’s guardian fails to register the child’s first name within the prescribed period of time, the agency can remind the guardian of this responsibility,” the agency wrote in one correspondence. “Anyone who does not follow the order may have a fine imposed for not submitting a name notification. The name registration must be signed by the child’s guardian,” it added.
The parents have so far failed to respond to the agency or offer a reason for why their baby, born in March 2009, still remains nameless. In total, five reminders have now been issued to the home, according to The Local. A letter sent by registered post was apparently received by the couple in April, but the fines are still to be acknowledged.
[…] Couple fined for nameless baby […]
While I fully agree that the naming of a child as soon as possible after birth is extremely important, I do not agree that it should be called ‘the most basic of human rights’, a description which, in my opinion, should be reserved to the right to life, which includes the right of babies to be taken care of in a way that would preserve their life. Other rights, of course, immediately follow in importance, and may run concurrently.
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