Sometimes I can barely believe stories that I read from other countries – countries with governments that are even more intrusive than our own. Of course, we have plenty of undue infringement of liberty right here in America, but I find it illuminating to see what’s happening in other parts of the world and to consider similar threats to our own liberty that could arise if we’re not on guard.
Today, there is just such a story out of Iceland, where a 15 year old girl is suing the government for..wait for it…the right to use her own name. Yes, that’s correct. See, it turns out that, in Iceland, you can only chose a name for your child from a government approved list. If you want to use something other than one of the 3565 approved names, then you have to file a special petition which is reviewed by a government committee. They’ll then either accept or reject the name.
The idea is two fold. There are concerns about names that might be embarrassing for children or offensive to large numbers of people; the committee once rejected “Satania.” And there are concerns about the Icelandic language; anything with a “C” is out because that letter isn’t in the Icelandic alphabet. (If, like me, you’re wondering how the country’s own name is written in the local language, it’s island.) But in this case, the girl’s name is Blaer, which means “light breeze” in Icelandic.
Regardless of the name, these sorts of choices should be left to parents, or to adults who want to change their names. They’re way beyond anything in which the government should be involved. That’s true on principle – names are deeply personal and choices about them should remain private. But it’s also a matter of practicality. Blaer doesn’t offend anyone. It doesn’t sound weird, even to my American ears. It’s a word in the native language. The child likes her name enough to sue to be able to use it. There’s nothing to protect here. And yet, this is the inevitable result when decisions like the naming of children are subject to regulation by the state.
Americans should take note, and be careful about where we grant power to the government. What seems unthreatening enough can quickly get completely out of control.
