Evening star., 1922-01-18
right TO MAIDEN
NAME IS. SOUGHT.
Passport Regulations Cause
Contest to Be Made by Pro.
7. feSsional Women.

sPersistent efforts are being made
,byraa number of women-artists,
authors. actresses and others-to have
the state Department, in. the issue
of passports. recognize what they
term "the legal right" of married
women to travel out of this country,
under their Christian or family name.
Several test: cases have been pre-
scented in recent months, and in each
from its long-established policy of
using the family name Of the hus-
band wheh, issuing passports to mar
ried women"
A typical case was that of a news
paper woman. affiliated with the Lucy
passport under her maiden name,
which also is her pen name, and as
serted that 1t was her legal and only
name. The passport, however, was
issued to her by her married name,
with the additional words, otherwise
- -" giving her pen name.
Refused to Accept 1t.
The passport contained the usual
photograph of the person named. She
refused to accept the passport, say-
ing she preferred to urge her right
to the use of her own Christian apd
family name "as descriptive Of her
person and personality" She ex.
planned that she never used her hus-
bands name, and is not known by
that name.
Government Statement.
In declining to grant her application
the assistant secretary Of state, wrote,
In part, as follows:
THE department has given it's care
ful consideration and. without discuss
ing. the legal points raised, .begs to say
that under the provisions Of the rules
governing the granting and issuing Of
passports in the United States signed by
the President on June Is, 1920, q pass
port is issued to a married woman in
her own Christian name or names with
the family name OF her husband.
1T is hardly necessary to point out
the difficulties which would arise IL the
department should issue passports to
names to enable them to travel abroad.
particularly in Christian countries
where it has been the established prac-
tice for the wife to use the family name
of her husband. American and consul
lar officers would doubtless very often
be placed in most embarrassing and
difficult position II passports were is
sued to married women in their maiden
names and such an officer were called
upon to assist. for instance, a man who
is.traveling with a woman who does not
use his family name, yet claims to be
married to him.
The Department. in view of these
and other considerations, does not deem
1T advisable to deviate from its long
established policy Of using the family
name of the husband when issuing pass
ports to married women"
VIII Ask .Reconsideration.
Members of the league. supporting
the contention that women, married
or unmarried, are the best judges Of
their own names, are not satisfied
with the attitude of, the State De-
partment. and have united in a move
ment for its reconsideration.
According to a paper issued by
them "the question at bar Is not
the number of kinks it may tie in
social customs and usages. but the
strength of legal right each indi-
vidual has in the name he or she
wears"
I'm the absence of specific law re-
quiring a woman to take the name
of her husband when she marries,"
continued the statement. "men and
women throughout the United States
believe the choice to be a legal right"
The case of Lucy Stone and others
were cited to show that many jur-
lists, including Chief Justice Chase of
the United States Supreme Court
held that s"there was no law COM
pelling a woman to take the family
name of her husband; that while she
had the privilege Of assuming it, she
was not required to do so."