It appears I am mistaken

The other day, I noted that while the State has its fingers in the sacrament of marriage, nobody thinks it should be in the business of mucking about in the ceremonies which surround the beginning of life, such as baptism or circumcision. A vigilant reader in England points out that, true to form, you can always find somebody on the daffy British Left who breaks the mold (or “mould” as our cousins across the Pond write it). As my reader puts it, “the economist Lord Layard has recently mooted a proposal that children undergo ‘civil birthing ceremonies’. Like many ideas which have emanated from academic economists, it’s completely crackers; but it’s as close to a secular baptism as I’ve yet seen.”

Here is a scene from a ‘civil birthing ceremony’ celebrated by another great European power recently. Perhaps Lord Layard has something like this in mind?