A lawyer has sparked a massive debate online after stating that she believes babies should be given their mom's surname at birth rather than their father's.
Taking to Twitter, Dr. Charlotte Proudman had some very controversial advice for pregnant women.
"A message to pregnant women — please give the baby your surname," she wrote in a tweet that has now been viewed over 4.8 million times. "You carried a baby for 9 months, gave birth, and will be responsible for that child for the rest of your life."
She added: "When you’re registering the baby ask yourself: why is the father’s surname more important than yours?"
While it tends to be a Western tradition for children to immediately inherit their father's last name, Dr. Proudman is urging moms to re-think this outdated practice and consider other options including their own.
The post has garnered a lot of attention online, with many taking to the comments to express their opinions on the matter - and let's just say things got a little heated.
"Your surname is literally your dad’s..." one user wrote, while another added to the argument by saying: "Counter-argument: why is the baby's maternal grandfather's surname more important than the baby's father's?"
Another user also stated that they were "proud" to carry their father's name, insinuating their child will do the same.
And this clearly triggered user decided to offer some advice to other men, emphasizing that if your children don't have your last name, you should also shift the responsibility of looking after the child to someone else too.
"Kings, If she gives your child her father’s name, the child automatically becomes her father’s responsibility," he wrote. "Don't stress it or spend a dime on a child who isn't carrying your surname."
Oh yeah, because a label automatically wipes out the DNA of that kid - great use of logic there.
However, there were a handful of users who agreed with the lawyer, with one saying: "100% - this should be the default."
Another also chimed in, writing: "Did exactly this", to which Dr Proudman praised the action.
A third also recalled a personal experience to back up the point: "I wish my mum had given me her maiden name. I hate my surname and it's (sic) association to my father."
Others seemed unbothered by the entire thing and urged people to do what they felt was right when the situation arises.
"Or everyone can just do whatever they want and we don't have to make it a thing," one pointed out.
While the debate online continues, let's take the time to discuss simple hacks to overcome this entire fiasco.
First and foremost, let's highlight that this is primarily a Western tradition that occurs, as there are multiple cultures outside of the West, as well as religions such as Islam, that prioritize family names based on gender.
So this would mean that children that are male would tend to take on their father's last name while the females would take their mother's, though this is interchangeable if one wishes.
It's simple and avoids all this drama based on seemingly archaic practices. Maybe we could learn a thing or two if we broadened our horizons a little more.
What do you think?
