"Illegitimate Child" an Illegitimate Term

Act 26 of the 2004 Regular Session changes the terminology in various provisions of the Civil Code, Code of Civil Procedure, Children's Code, Code of Evidence, and Revised Statutes that referred to legitimate or illegitimate children. Under the new terminology, a child formerly referred to as illegitimate is now referred to as a child born outside of marriage, while a child formerly referred to as legitimate is now referred to as a child born of marriage.

I normally disdain euphemisms (see e.g. here and here), but I must make an exception for this one. The old terminology hung an ugly label on children who did nothing to deserve it.

Posted by RPW at June 3, 2004 04:57 PM