“Why is his last name more important than yours?” Lawyer provokes fierce debate as she urges ALL pregnant women to name babies
A lawyer has sparked fierce debate after urging all pregnant women not to give their children their father’s surname.
Dr. Charlotte Proudman, 33, from London, went viral on Twitter this week with her message to expectant mothers.
She wrote: “A message to pregnant women: please give the baby your last name.
“You carried a baby for 9 months, gave birth and are responsible for that child for the rest of your life.”
Rather than blindly follow tradition, the lawyer — who made headlines in 2015 when she called out a LinkedIn user for his “sexist” message — urged women to consider giving their children their last names.
Pictured: Dr Charlotte Proudman, 33, from London, went viral on Twitter this week with her message to pregnant women
She ended the post by writing, “When registering the baby, ask yourself: Why is the father’s last name more important than yours?”
Since Charlotte posted the tweet last night, her post has been viewed by more than 1.4 million users – and the response has been divided.
One of them replied, “Counterargument: Why is the surname of the baby’s maternal grandfather more important than that of the baby’s father?”
Responding to Charlotte’s suggestion, another added, “I think it’s my choice of what last name I give, rather than feeling an obligation for my maiden last name.”
Meanwhile, a third said, “It’s about the father feeling responsible for the child.”
A fourth agrees: ‘Fathers are also responsible for their children for the rest of their lives.’
Others, however, appreciated Charlotte’s point and responded with messages of support.
One supporter picked up on another user’s “counter-argument,” saying, “Ah yes, because the mother’s last name isn’t really hers, it’s her father’s – but the father’s last name is his.”
Since Dr. Charlotte Proudman posted the tweet last night, her post has been viewed by more than 1.4 million users
The tweet sparked fierce debate in the comments – some claimed that the family’s surname makes a man “feel responsible” for his child
“Everyone inherits his last name.”
Another said, “Just because she inherited it from a man doesn’t mean it isn’t hers.
“It’s been her name all her life!”
Speaking from experience, a third added, “I did this! If the father of my babies and I get married, we’ll reassess it, but I thought I’d rather take them abroad alone, and his last name shouldn’t be the default name.
“Even my 2-year-old understands he has my last name, but one day maybe he’ll have Dad’s and it won’t bother him.”
Others reacted angrily to this tweet: “One replied, ‘Counter argument: Why is the last name of the baby’s maternal grandfather more important than that of the baby’s father?’
“Mine has both,” a fourth said. And I think it’s pretty good that they choose to use either or both. Or if they want to choose a completely new one, that’s fine too. As long as they know it’s up to them and they don’t just have to do what someone else wants or expects.’
In 2015, Dr. Proudman went viral when she accused a married lawyer of sexism after he complimented her on her LinkedIn photo.
The attorney insisted she was right when she embarrassed Alexander Carter-Silk, the married attorney, who praised her “stunning” photo.
She called the father-of-two a “sexist” because he told her, “You sure win the award for the best LinkedIn photo I’ve ever seen.”
She told the Evening Standard: “Professionals use LinkedIn as if it were Tinder. There are websites designed for professionals so far. It is not necessary to use LinkedIn’.