News
Smack
reporter: Jonathan, 4.7.05
The New Zealand Herald this morning has shown once again how our government is favouring minority groups.More than 70 per cent of voters want parents to keep the right to use "reasonable force" to punish their children - despite growing support in Parliament for a controversial bill that many see as anti-smacking.
It also shows that being a professor at a University doesn't mean you have to be smart.
Auckland University psychologist Associate Professor Fred Seymour said the repeal of section 59 was being confused with the related issue of outlawing hitting children - something the bill would not do.
"If the section 59 situation was explained carefully, the majority would see the sense in it being removed. There is no way police are going to rush out and prosecute parents for smacking their children."
Could someone show me where there is any legal protection for parents if section 59 is removed? Just saying that when section 59 is removed that "There is no way police are going to rush out and prosecute parents for smacking their children." doesn't mean that they can't or that they won't in the future! As Nato said in a comment on this topic earlier a few politicians saying that the police won't prosecute parents will mean absolutely nothing to anyone in 10 years yet alone 40 or 50!
