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Court decides name problem for two parents
Filed under: Just For Moms, Just For Dads, Your Pregnancy, Development/Milestones: Babies
An Oregon court has finally reached a decision on what to name a child, only after looking at 1,000 years of naming traditions.(Couldn't they have just contacted Baby Center?)
The problem started in 2004 when an unmarried couple had a baby. While they were able to negotiate other parenting terms, such as custody and child support, the decision on what last name the baby would have was a heated one.
Lawyers were called, of course.
The mother, whose last name is Wizner, wanted the baby to have the same last name as her other three children. The father, whose last name is Doherty, said that Wizner is not an "ancestral" name but one from a previous marriage.
While in married couples, the child tends to have the father's last name, children born to unwed mothers usually had her surname or the one of her choosing. Nowadays, the child's needs are considered and the court sided with Wizner, saying it would "embarrass" the child less if she had the same last name as her other siblings.
If you were in a similar situation, or know of someone who was, how was the surname issue dealt with? Did the baby have the mom's, dad's or a hyphenated version?
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
1-05-2007 @ 8:09AM
LB said...PUH leeze! I fear this guy just got all macho and wigged at the idea of the baby having another man's name. There is no difference if the mom got her name from her dad her mom or a former spouse, it's what she goes by and is totally legitmate as name for the new baby. "Ancestral!" spare me!
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1-05-2007 @ 9:28AM
Ginny said...Isn't it important for the dad to carry on HIS surname? If it were YOU would you want YOUR baby to have the dad's ex-wife's name? I think it's great that the child will have the same last name as her siblings, but I can certainly understand why the father wants her to have his last name. I don't think he is unreasonable for wanting that.
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1-05-2007 @ 10:05AM
MamaChristy said...My first job out of college I knew a woman in this very circumstance. She had a daughter from her first marriage and kept her married name when they divorced so that she and her daughter would have the same last name. When she became pregnant with her boyfriend's child, she wanted to get married and he didn't. She refused to let her boyfriend's son have his last name if he wouldn't marry her, but she didn't want her ex-husband's name attached with a baby that wasn't his, either. She changed her name back to her maiden name so she could give the baby that last name. It was a mess.
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1-05-2007 @ 11:21AM
Christine said...Craziness! I hope he appeals! Less embarassing?? I mean.. she knew when she got pregnant that his name was Doherty! This does not sound like the child would be embarrassed... it sounds like the mom would be embarassed that everyone would know she had another child by a different guy.
I cant believe what a control freak this woman is... I cant believe she won! CRAZINESS! Why would you want your kid to have your ex-husband's name??
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1-05-2007 @ 6:09PM
ann adams said...The girls all have their moms' surname because their dads' surname would subject them to endless teasing for the rest of their lives.
The name they use is quite common.
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1-06-2007 @ 7:28AM
Ginny said..."The girls all have their moms' surname because their dads' surname would subject them to endless teasing for the rest of their lives."
I think that was a wise choice. I can't imagine having the last name of my mom's ex husband...who had/has nothing to do with me. Ya know? Weird.
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1-06-2007 @ 10:27AM
anonny said...In American culture, the only children who do not share the last name of their biological fathers are children that have absolutely no relationship with their bio dads.
The mother was obviously using the name to try to erase the father from the girl's life.
I think this is a case of a mother who has little respect for the relationship between children and fathers. The mother's lawyer used the argument that the last name of the child should not be the determining factor in their ability to bond, but the same could be said about the relationship between siblings.
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