Children will no longer be required to take their father's name, if a proposed amendment to the Civil Code is approved, Government Information Office Minister Pasuya Yao (
Yao said that according to the change, which was proposed by the Ministry of Justice, a child's last name will be decided by the parents, leaving it up to them whether the name will follow the father's or mother's.
"[The proposal] came from the idea of respecting women," Yao said.
But the ministry and the Judicial Yuan have different ideas of solutions for cases where the father and mother cannot agree on naming their child. The Cabinet therefore decided to submit both proposals and let lawmakers make the final decision when they review the amendment.
According to the ministry's proposal, if the parents cannot decide, their children's last names can be decided by a judge upon a request. The Judicial Yuan, on the other hand, proposed that if the parents can't agree, a child's last name should be decided by drawing lots.
In cases where a couple has a child out of wedlock, the child will take the name of the parent who has custody of the child.
Under current law, children must take their father's name. The mother's last name can only be used if the father agrees and the mother does not have any brothers.
"Local women groups have been promoting the idea for years. Today's decision will definitely make them happy," Yao said.
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