French Parliament approves law allowing citizens to change their surname
French deputies have given the green light to a law allowing citizens to change their name more easily.
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The Assemblée nationale overwhelmingly passed the bill which makes it easier to replace the surname received at birth with the one of the other parent.
But it can only be done once.
The law - championed by the LREM deputy Patrick Vignal - allows an adult to go along to their town hall from 1 July and ask to take or add the name of his or her other parent.
Under the old legislation, the Ministry of Justice had to sanction the request which could only be made if the surname had been discredited, had pejorative connotations or was in danger of dying out.
Vignal, a deputy in the Hérault region of southern France, hailed the law as a symbol of social progress.
Je vois dans cette #PPL un symbole, une nouvelle manière de fabriquer la loi qui régit notre vie sociale.
— Patrick Vignal (@PatrickVignal) February 25, 2022
Nous, les parlementaires, devons être les meilleurs avocats et représentants de nos concitoyens. Ils ne veulent pas consommer la République, mais en être coproducteurs ! pic.twitter.com/QrIJFoL5pj
"We parliamentarians must be the best advocates and representatives of our fellow citizens," he added.
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