Naming newborn children is always a very meaningful and significant issue for a family. For any Chinese father with traditional thinking, the name of his child will relate to his lineage, which to some extent represents his "brand". But for a Chinese mother with modern thinking, the name of her child may demonstrate her status in the family.

When two parties cannot reach agreement about the naming of a child, who should have the last say over the issue? Moreover, do the parents have the right to name their children with unusual names such as Saddam Deng SARS? Do the parents have the right to choose any surname for the child, including the surname of a third party?

At present, there is no written law governing above issues in China. As a result, some experts have suggested that a "Naming Law" should be promulgated to regulate the naming of children. In fact, it was reported that the National Language Committee of China would soon release a "Name List For Use By Citizens" to ensure orderly record-keeping procedures for names.

However, the suggestion has sparked widespread debate. Quite a lot of people consider that naming of children is a totally individual choice, which is none of government's business. To put it more accurately, naming is supposed to be a kind of human right which cannot be denied for any reason. Therefore, the state should not interfere with it.

It goes without saying that parents' individual rights should be respected when choosing the names of children. So, the parents should be in the first in line to name their children. However, it is also worth noting that individual rights cannot be exerted without limitation. Any right should be limited. When it comes to a situation where parents' individual interests contravene public interests, there is a need to weigh up all the interests involved.

When the child is given a name, the top concern should be the good of the child. After all, the child is the one who will be affected most. When disputes arise between parents on this matter, the state should have the final word. And for the unfortunate child called Saddam Deng SARS, it could be very easy to encounter a great many embarrassing moments, which might not make the difficult process of growing up any easier.

Although the child can change his/her name later, the influence of a badly chosen name is still inevitable. Under such circumstances, authorities should have the right to impose restrictions to protect the interests of child.

Moreover, the public interest should also be taken into account. There are names that obviously go against the customs or moral values of our society. A typical example is when a couple gives their child the name "Wan Sui" (meaning "Your Honour"), which was specially used for addressing the Emperor in ancient China. When calling the child "Wan Sui", it is possible for other people to feel inferior or even humiliated. In this case, the public interest outweighs the parents' interest and the name should not be allowed.

In conclusion, the state should have the power to put restrictions on the permissible names for children. It is necessary to prevent parents from giving their children names that would do harm to the children or obviously go against custom.

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