If you are a James Bond fan, the name Q may sound familiar. In the Bond movies, Q is the head of the Q Branch, the research and development division of the British Secret Service. You know, the guy who gives Bond all the cool gadgets.
A Swedish couple who wish to legally name their son Q swear they have not been influenced by the popular Ian Fleming stories. They just like the name and are fighting the Swedish government for the right to bestow it upon their son. Swedish authorities, however, say the name is not appropriate because it consists of only one letter and is therefore prohibited by the country's names law.The parents are appealing the court's ruling claiming that Q is the name the boy has answered to since birth. "He is quite simply Q with half of the inhabitants of the Åre area. There are stranger names in the valley," the couple claim in their appeal.
Q's parents are not the first to run up against it the Swedish names law. Other Swedish parents before them have fought the law for the right to name their children whatever they wish - some with more success than others. In the past few years, the courts have ruled against Superman and Elvis, but gave Metallica and Lego the go-ahead.
Do you think the Swedish government should be getting involved in the highly personal decision of what to name a child? Are they protecting children or just meddling? Should our government be stepping in to protect these children from their own parents' bad judgment?