Childbirth Under X: Adoptive Parents Gain Naming Rights After State Wardship
Paris, France – October 15, 2025, 13:30:22 CET – Children born under France’s “X” law, where a mother requests anonymity at childbirth, become legally adoptable after a two-month withdrawal period, granting adoptive parents the right to choose the child’s first name. This process, while ensuring maternal privacy, shifts naming authority from the biological mother to the adoptive family, a detail often overlooked in discussions surrounding the law.
The procedure impacts children born to mothers who initiate the anonymous birth process, seeking to relinquish parental rights instantly following delivery. Following the mandated two-month period, the child is permanently placed under state guardianship, initiating adoption proceedings. This legal transition is pivotal, as it fundamentally alters who decides the child’s identity, specifically their given name. Adoptive parents are informed of any first names initially suggested by the biological mother, but are not obligated to use them; the vast majority opt to bestow names of their own choosing.
Upon adoption, the child automatically assumes the surname of their adoptive parents, fully integrating them into their new family structure. The law aims to balance the rights of mothers seeking anonymity with the needs of children to have stable, loving homes and defined familial identities.
