Speak Up: Bill would eliminate provision for name change in Delaware

A bill awaiting state Senate approval would eliminate a practice that critics say puts some at risk. House Bill 274 would repeal the requirement that an individual seeking to change his or her name must publish notice of the petition to do so in a newspaper published in their county. The notice must be printed at least once a week for three weeks before the petition is filed.

• I think this is a mixed bag. Yes, those that are victims of domestic violence need to be given privacy, but there are people who change their names for other reasons, like fraud. Perhaps instead of a new bill repealing the requirement of newspaper or public display for name changes, if the person requesting the name change is a victim of domestic violence, the name can be withheld from the post or listed as Jane or John Doe. That way, those that are not changing their name because of domestic violence still have to post it. Or make a comprehensive bill for domestic violence, including name changes for domestic violence, in with providing an automatic restraining order and possibly mandatory wellness checks by social workers, to make sure everything is going OK financially, physically and psychologically. There’s a lot more we could be doing for victims of domestic violence than we are, but the main reason for name changes to be publicly announced is because of the possibility of people changing their name to defraud others. — SalisburyWitch