§ 54. Mr. DAYasked the Minister of Health whether, in view of the present 1458 Regulations existing for the registration of illegitimate children, he will consider the introduction of legislation which will have as its object the registration of the birth of these children in such a way that they do not bear the stigma of illegitimacy?
§ Mr. GREENWOODI would remind the hon. Member that the primary object of birth registration is the establishment of a record for the purpose of furnishing legal evidence in regard to matters of civil status, and that, so long as a distinction is drawn by the law for many important purposes between legitimate and illegitimate children, the obliteration of this distinction in the birth register would merely destroy its utility to a very large extent without affording any compensating advantages to the individuals affected.
§ Mr. GREENWOODIt would mean a very large volume of legislation affecting civic status.