SACRAMENTO — California parents would face jail and a fine for spanking their young children under legislation a San Francisco Bay area lawmaker has promised to introduce next week.
Assemblywoman Sally Lieber, D-Mountain View, said such a law is needed because spanking victimizes helpless children and breeds violence in society.
"I think it's pretty hard to argue you need to beat a child," Lieber said. "Is it OK to whip a 1-year-old or a 6-month-old or a newborn?"
Lieber said her proposal would make spanking, hitting and slapping a child under 4 years old a misdemeanor. Adults could face up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Aides to the assemblywoman said they are still working on a definition for spanking.
Some Republican lawmakers called the idea ridiculous. But Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said he may be receptive to it even though he has concerns about how the ban would be enforced.
The governor said he and his wife, Maria Shriver, did not spank their four children and used alternative methods for discipline. For example, Schwarzenegger said they found it more effective to threaten to take away their children's play time if they didn't do school work.
(Story continues below)
Advertise HereAdvertisements
/**/
"They hate that much more than getting spanked," he told reporters Friday in Los Angeles.
California law permits spanking by parents unless the degree of force is excessive or not appropriate for the child's age.
Done Story
Comments: When i was young, every time my parents had to spank or hit me because of my misdemeanors, i felt the warmth of care and concern and the pain of having to hurt me in their eyes. After punishing me, my parents would heal my wounds with their sincere words and acts of love. Those experiences surely made me a better person of knowing right and wrong and tightened the bond between me and them. If they had only taken away my toys as punishments, they wouldn't have had such an impact on my life as is now. But, who know, after all, this is a materialistic America!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
I think you are a bit off in saying that this article is an example of materialism in America. I would also not say that even the majority of Americans are against it. As a child, I, as well as my three other sibilings, were punished with spanking, as well as other punishments depending on the severity of our actions. I can definitely say that spanking did not lead to a predisposition toward violence in me, it did, however, make me respect my parents and know that I need to obey them and the rules they have set for me. I can also see how spanking would promote violence in homes where children are not spanked as a disciplinary method but as simply abuse. I do think that children should not be spanked until they are capable of comprehending why it is that they are being spanked--what is the use in spanking a child if they are not even aware of why or what it means?
Post a Comment