Why an ABC journalist named her newborn after an illicit drug
An ABC journalist has raised eyebrows after she named her newborn son after an illicit drug.
Kirsten Drysdale, host of WTFAQ on the public broadcaster, has recently welcomed her third child with her husband Chris, as the couple revel in their newborn bliss bubble.
However, their euphoria has been overtaken by a series of questions over their strange choice of name for the baby boy.
The newborn baby’s legal name is Methamphetamine Rules.
The reasons behind the unusual name are more than meets the eye, as Drysdale works on the WTFAQ program, answering burning questions from the public.
‘What can I legally name my baby?’ has come up consistently on the program, as Drysdale set out to investigate how far you can go when naming a child before the state registry steps in.
While researching the story, the mum wondered what name the registry would default to if the parents’ first submission was rejected.
She wasn’t getting a clear answer from the government body’s media team, and as she was about to give birth, Drysdale decided it was perfect timing to take matters into her own hands.
“We thought, what is the most outrageous name we can think of that will definitely not be accepted?” Drysdale told news.com.au.
“Methamphetamine Rules we thought would surely get rejected, and then when it does, we can find out what name the Registrar chooses.”
“It was really just a lighthearted, curious attempt to get an answer to this question.”
Drysdale’s attempt at fooling the system quickly turned to horror when her initial online submission listing her son’s fake name was approved “very quickly”.
Weeks after giving birth, she received her son’s birth certificate in the mail with ‘Methamphetamine Rules’ listed as her son’s given name.
“I don’t know how it slipped through,” Drysdale said. “I’m not sure if someone was overworked, or if it was automated somewhere.
“Or possibly, maybe they thought Methamphetamine was a Greek name.
“They haven’t really given us a clear answer.”
Thankfully, the Registrar admitted it was an unusual oversight, and Drysdale’s son’s real, “normal” name should be approved any day now.
“Baby Meth’s real name … I’m not publicly disclosing it, because I don’t want it to be attached to this,” she laughed.
“It’s a beautiful name and I can tell you it has nothing to do with class A drugs.”
“We think it’ll be a very unique 21st birthday present to tell him this story.”
Image credits: Kirsten Drysdale / WTFAQ: ABC