Anti-spanking bill dropped
February 23rd, 2007A Democratic lawmaker has abandoned her heavily ridiculed campaign to make spanking a crime, acknowledging that the idea would get whacked even in California’s sometimes whimsical Legislature.
Instead, San Francisco Bay area Assemblywoman Sally Lieber introduced a more narrow bill on Thursday she said would help district attorneys more easily prosecute parents who cross the line from punishment into physical abuse.
Even with this bill’s death, I’m convinced this issue isn’t going to go away.
You’re right Tim. This is hardly the end of this issue. As I understand it, the new bill is aimed at parents who use anything other than a hand to spank with, thus classifying it as abuse. As you know, I’m not one who romanticizes spanking, but parents should have the freedom to raise thier kids, and even spank them at times, without being fearful of being charged with criminal behavior.
Although I do spank with my hands, I remember years ago the Life Action Revival held at Woodlawn in Jackson — Steve Canfield suggested that hands were for loving while, biblically, the rod was for correction. We agreed and thus began a great tradition of whipping via rod in the Aspinwall household. Really doesn’t take much whipping if you discipline the heart.
make that Woodland