jimnyc
03-25-2017, 03:57 PM
Why do you want to have a child with a different last name? At least use the traditional method, or a manner that keeps the name in the family. But allah? Do they want the kid ridiculed her entire life? And sure, whether you like Islam or not, agree or not, that's exactly what would happen. No different than having a kid, and instead of Mom/Dad's last name, you name him Frank Catholicism. Perhaps they just want to be negative and seek attention? I'm with the state on this one.
---
Atlanta family battling state over right to name daughter Allah
ATLANTA — The toddler daughter of Elizabeth Handy and Bilal Walk has everything you would expect: a sweet smile, curious nature and finicky tastes.
But, in the eyes of the state of Georgia, the 22-month-old child has no name.
According to Handy and Walk, the Georgia Department of Public Health refused to issue the infant a birth certificate with the last name the couple chose for their daughter: Allah.
The ACLU of Georgia has filed suit on behalf of the couple, who say they can't get a Social Security number for their daughter because they don't have a birth certificate. They also anticipate problems with access to health care, schools and travel. Already, they said, they had to cancel a trip to Mexico.
"We have to make sure that the state isn't overstepping their boundaries," Walk said. "It is just plainly unfair and a violation of our rights."
State officials, however, said the child's name — ZalyKha Graceful Lorraina Allah — does not fit the naming conventions set up by state law. They say that ZalyKha's last name should either be Handy, Walk or a combination of the two.
The lawsuit names Brenda Fitzgerald, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Health, and Donna L. Moore, the state registrar and director of the Office of Vital Records.
In a series of letters written by lawyers representing the Department of Public Health, officials said that based on Georgia code, the state "requires that a baby's surname be either that of the father of the mother for purposes of the initial birth record."
General counsel Sidney Barrett wrote that, once the birth record is created, ZalyKha's surname can be changed through a petition to superior court.
But ACLU of Georgia Executive Director Andrea Young said the state's decision is an example of government overreach and a violation of the First and 14th amendments. In addition, Handy and Walk have a three-year-old son who was given a birth certificate for his name, Masterful Allah, with no problem.
Michael Baumrind, another attorney representing the family, said while it is true that the family is trying to introduce a third surname, it is irrelevant.
"There are numbers of parents who have selected a name for their children," Baumrind said. "The state has no business determining if a name is satisfactory. The parents get to decide the name of the child. Not the state. It is an easy case."
Rest here - http://www.therecord.com/news-story/7208120-atlanta-family-battling-state-over-right-to-name-daughter-allah/
---
Atlanta family battling state over right to name daughter Allah
ATLANTA — The toddler daughter of Elizabeth Handy and Bilal Walk has everything you would expect: a sweet smile, curious nature and finicky tastes.
But, in the eyes of the state of Georgia, the 22-month-old child has no name.
According to Handy and Walk, the Georgia Department of Public Health refused to issue the infant a birth certificate with the last name the couple chose for their daughter: Allah.
The ACLU of Georgia has filed suit on behalf of the couple, who say they can't get a Social Security number for their daughter because they don't have a birth certificate. They also anticipate problems with access to health care, schools and travel. Already, they said, they had to cancel a trip to Mexico.
"We have to make sure that the state isn't overstepping their boundaries," Walk said. "It is just plainly unfair and a violation of our rights."
State officials, however, said the child's name — ZalyKha Graceful Lorraina Allah — does not fit the naming conventions set up by state law. They say that ZalyKha's last name should either be Handy, Walk or a combination of the two.
The lawsuit names Brenda Fitzgerald, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Health, and Donna L. Moore, the state registrar and director of the Office of Vital Records.
In a series of letters written by lawyers representing the Department of Public Health, officials said that based on Georgia code, the state "requires that a baby's surname be either that of the father of the mother for purposes of the initial birth record."
General counsel Sidney Barrett wrote that, once the birth record is created, ZalyKha's surname can be changed through a petition to superior court.
But ACLU of Georgia Executive Director Andrea Young said the state's decision is an example of government overreach and a violation of the First and 14th amendments. In addition, Handy and Walk have a three-year-old son who was given a birth certificate for his name, Masterful Allah, with no problem.
Michael Baumrind, another attorney representing the family, said while it is true that the family is trying to introduce a third surname, it is irrelevant.
"There are numbers of parents who have selected a name for their children," Baumrind said. "The state has no business determining if a name is satisfactory. The parents get to decide the name of the child. Not the state. It is an easy case."
Rest here - http://www.therecord.com/news-story/7208120-atlanta-family-battling-state-over-right-to-name-daughter-allah/