A New Jersey appeals court says a couple who named one of their children after Adolf Hitler should not regain custody of their three children:
The family drew attention after ShopRite refused to decorate a birthday cake for their son, Adolf Hitler Campbell. Adolf and siblings JoyceLynn Aryan Nation and Honszlynn Hinler Jeannie have been in foster care since then.
The appeals court ruled Thursday that sufficient evidence of abuse or neglect existed because of domestic violence in the home . . . .
“It’s not like he’s’ growing up to be a killer or nothing like that,” said mother Deborah Campbell . . . .
So why the names?
“This is America, they say it’s free, you have the right to name your child whatever you want to name your child, no matter what,” Heath Campbell said.
Another news report clarifies that “authorities have stated in the past that putting the children into the foster system had nothing to do with their names.”
Although I’m a strong proponent of parental rights, I’m not sure I’d have a problem with declaring the parents incompetent for simply giving their child a name like Adolf Hitler. Seems to me that giving a kid a name that ensures they will be verbal and/or physically abused everytime they step outside their home is a sign of parental incompetence and a justifiable reason for removing the children. I’m no legal scholar but I believe in the common law this is known as the “Boy Named Sue” clause.
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
But we can’t do it without readers like you.
Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.
Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.
Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
The Church in the Age of Therapy
In 1966, Philip Rieff wrote in The Triumph of the Therapeutic that “Religious man was born to…
Canada’s Deadliest Blind Spot
On September 20, the Daily Mail ran a story with the provocative headline, “Our 83-year-old Christian grandmother…
The Faithful Joy of Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen
Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen seem to have had little in common. She favored rhinestones; he wore…
