Australian journalist Kirsten Drysdale has unwittingly given her newborn son the unconventional name "Methamphetamine Rules" after a government oversight allowed it to slip through the cracks.
Drysdale, a seasoned journalist, recently welcomed her third child with her husband, Chris. However, the couple's joy was marred by an unexpected twist in their son's legal name.
The New South Wales, Australia Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, typically vigilant in prohibiting offensive terms as names, inexplicably approved "Methamphetamine Rules."
A spokesperson for the registry acknowledged the error and stated that they have now "strengthened" their system to prevent such incidents in the future.
But why would Drysdale choose such a controversial name for her child? The unusual moniker stemmed from Drysdale's investigative work for the ABC's WTFAQ program, which explores viewers' intriguing queries.
One recurring question was, "What can I legally name my baby?" In pursuit of an answer, Drysdale attempted to discover what the Registrar would name a child if the parents' initial submission was rejected.
Frustrated by the lack of a clear response from the government's media team and close to her due date, Drysdale and her husband decided to experiment by submitting the audacious name "Methamphetamine Rules," believing it would undoubtedly be rejected.
To their shock, the name was approved swiftly.
Weeks later, Drysdale received her son's official birth certificate, confirming "Methamphetamine Rules" as his given name. The bewildered parents were left wondering how the name had slipped through the cracks, with Drysdale speculating that it may have been due to overwork, automation, or perhaps a misunderstanding of the name's origin.
Fortunately, the Registrar admitted the rare oversight, assuring Drysdale that her son's "normal" name would be approved shortly.
Drysdale, however, decided not to disclose the real name, wanting to separate it from this unusual incident. She mused that revealing the story to her son on his 21st birthday would make for a unique and entertaining tale.
While there are clear restrictions on naming conventions in Australia, such as the prohibition of offensive or contrary-to-public-interest names, individual registrars evaluate names on a "case-by-case" basis.
