Newborn named 'Meth Rules' in baby naming experiment

Kirsten Drysdale and her young son

The result is a light-hearted experiment in testing the boundaries of an acceptable name in Australia. The baby boy is being called the «Meth Rules.»

The baby's mother, Kirsten Drysdale, is a journalist for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation who presents a program called What The FAQ, which aims to provide answers to viewers. 'the most burning questions about everyday life.

One of the most frequently asked questions was: “What can I legally name my child?”

She asked this question in the registry New South Wales. births, deaths and marriages, but received no response.

She also wanted to know what default name the registry office would come up with if it found the proposed name too offensive.

While pregnant with her third child, she decided to take matters into her own hands. , applying for her baby son to be named «Meth Rules», a reference to the Class A drug.

To her shock, the name was accepted and she received a birth certificate, which confirmed that the baby is now called Meth Rules.

“We thought: What’s the most outrageous name we can come up with that we know won’t be accepted?” she told news.com.au.

“We thought that the Methamphetamine Rules would probably be rejected, and when that happened, we would be able to find out what name the registrar would choose.

“It was really just a light-hearted and curious attempt to get an answer to this question.” .

Birth certificate confirmation of the boy's name

After letting a strange name slip through the cracks, the NSW Register of Births, Deaths and Marriages says it is now tightening its procedures to prevent the same thing happening again.

“I don’t know how it got away,” said Ms. Drysdale. «I'm not sure if someone was overworked, or if it was automated somewhere.

«Or maybe they thought Methamphetamine was a Greek name.»

Her child won't be stuck with that name forever. Ms Drysdale and her husband applied to have it changed, although she refused to reveal the new name they had chosen.

“It's a beautiful name and I can tell you it has nothing to do with drugs «Class A,» she said.

On its website, the NSW Register Office advises parents that they cannot choose a name for their child that contains more than 50 letters.

And they can't. they choose names that could be confused with an official title or title, such as Queen, King, Prince, Princess, President, Judge or God.

“We will not register a name if we find that it is offensive or “is not in the public interest,” the government department said.