I already knew that “baby” legally has not been defined, but someone asked me to look so I did. And, what I did see is rather interesting.
The list of words in Black’s Law 12th Edition that contain the word baby are as follows;
So you can see what the definitions are or what they point to. So, the above list is the only definitions that start with the word baby. What I found interesting was the word baby-bond. When I followed that trail, it lead me to something i have been saying for a while. I could be wrong on this, but all I can do is give you my speculation based on the evidence.
A few years ago I was looking at the definitions of what is considered a security, and I found the subsequent list under the Federal Securities Law Fourth Edition;
The term “security” means any note, stock, treasury stock, bond, debenture, evidence of indebtedness, certificate of interest or participation in any profit-sharing agreement, collateral-trust certificate, reorganization certificate or subscription, transferable share, investment contract, voting-trust certificate, certificate of deposit for a security, fractional undivided interest in oil, gas, or other mineral rights, any put, call, straddle, option, or privilege on any security, certificate of deposit, or group or index of securities (including any interest therein or based on the value thereof), or any put, call, straddle, option, or privilege entered into on a national securities exchange relating to foreign currency, or, in general, any interest or instrument commonly known as a “security,” or any certificate of interest or participation in, temporary or interim certificate for, receipt for, guarantee of, or warrant or right to subscribe to or purchase, any of the foregoing.
Federal Securities Law Fourth Edition, 2022 WL 2253214
The way I look at this list is similar to the ingredients list on some kind of food product. What ever is the highest amount is the first in the list. So for the securities, what ever is the most important or most valuable is fist in the list.
Most of those words are self explanatory. But, the fifth word in the list is a debenture. When I saw that word I was like what is that? So I looked it up and it is defined as follows;
debenture (di-ben-chər) [fr. Latin debentur “there are owed”] [Latin dĒbentur “they are owing,” passive present third-person plural of dĒbĒre “to owe,” after the supposed wording in early certificates of indebtedness, which are thought to have begun with dĒbentur just above a list of sums owed. The addition of the –e at the end of the word came in the 15c, on the analogy of many other English words ending –ure.] (15c) 1. A debt secured only by the debtor’s earning power, not by a lien on any specific asset. • Originally, this was the first word of a deed detailing sums acknowledged to be owed. 2. An instrument acknowledging such a debt. — Also termed certificate of indebtedness. 3. A bond that is backed only by the general credit and financial reputation of the corporate issuer, not by a lien on corporate assets. — Also termed debenture bond; unsecured bond; naked debenture; plain bond. Cf. bond (3).
“The word ‘debenture’ in its archaic sense was applied to a form given under seal as an acknowledgment for goods supplied to the Royal Household, and as such probably meant a charge on Public Funds. The term was further applied to drawback certificates issued for repayment, on the exportation of goods, of duty which had already been paid upon them, and this term is still so used by H.M. Customs … The word is now, however, generally used to indicate an acknowledgment of indebtedness given under seal by an incorporated company, containing a charge on assets of the company, and carrying an agreed rate of interest until payment, but the variety of the forms which a debenture may take makes it difficult to find a good general definition in any reported case.” Thomas Froude & Eric V.E. White, The Practice Relating to Debentures 1 (1935).
DEBENTURE, Black’s Law Dictionary (12th ed. 2024)
It was at that point that I started saying that the Birth Certificate appeared to be a debenture. Being that the government keeps a record of everything. They track everything and keep statistical data on everyone. It is not just the government, it is the corporations also. So, they can already guess statistically what you may earn through out your life.
Now when I looked at the word baby bond it said “see bond(3). Bond 3 is defined as;
A long-term, interest-bearing debt instrument issued by a corporation or governmental entity, usu. to provide for a particular financial need; esp., such an instrument in which the debt is secured by a lien on the issuer’s property. Cf. debenture.
Well, you can see above in the definition of debenture that it points right back to Bond(3). then just a few lines below that in the list of bond definitions was another definition for baby-bond and it is the following;
baby bond (1925) 1. A bond having a small face value, usu. less than $500 or $1,000. 2. English law. A voucher or contribution deposited on behalf of a child into a trust fund or individual savings account from which funds cannot be withdrawn until the child reaches adulthood.
I will let you draw your own conclusion after reading this. But, I am pretty sure that those that join my live discussions will recognize some of the language. They will also have a logical presumption that follows.