SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — A judicial panel says Dominicans are free to name their kids “Dummy,” “Dear Pineapple” or anything else for that matter. The Central Electoral Commission has rejected a proposal that would ban any names that could be confusing or give no indication of gender, such as Querida Pina (Dear Pineapple) and Tonton Ruiz (Dummy Ruiz); both of these being real examples.

Judge Jose Angel Aquinas had called for a crackdown on unusual names after the country’s civil registry showed some families were naming their offspring after cartoon characters and car brands. One family named their girl Mazda Altagracia

But the commission concluded it is not appropriate for the government to dictate what parents name their children.

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