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Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Spanking a misdemeanor?
A California assemblywoman plans to propose a bill making spanking a child under 3 a misdemeanor. What do you think?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The New York Times reports that a California assemblywoman is planning to propose a bill this week that would make it a misdemeanor to spank a child under 3 years old. Penalties could range from child-rearing classes to one year in jail. Here is the full story.
Reactions to the idea have been mixed. The assemblywoman, who does not have children, said she has gotten many phone calls against the legislation.
The Assemblywoman Sally J. Lieber said, “I have to question why our society holds so tightly to physical discipline among the very young. We’re very addicted to violence.”
The article said: “In an interview with The San Jose Mercury News, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said that as a child he ‘got smacked about everything. That was the way Austria worked.’
“The governor said that when disciplining his four children, he and his wife, Maria Shriver, declined to spank. ‘I think any time we try to pass laws that say you’ve got to protect the kids, it’s, in general, always good,’ he added.”
The article points out that about 15 countries have banned corporal punishment. Georgia allows physical discipline of children, as long as it doesn’t result in injury.
What do you guys think?
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