Anti-spanking

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article does not cite any references or sources. (May 2008)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

Anti-spanking is a term in American English to describe an opposition to spanking. It is usually used to refer to someone who is politically opposed to spanking.

1 History
2 Crime rates and spanking bans
3 Countries where spanking in the home is illegal or restricted
4 Spanking laws in the United States
5 Spanking laws in Canada
6 Select anti-spanking individuals
7 Anti-spanking websites
8 Notes

[edit] History

It is widely believed that anti-spanking activism dates back to at least the 17th century, and likely further than that. The term "spare the rod, spoil the child" was coined in the 17th century by Samuel Butler in his poem Hudibras, and was actually used in criticism of corporal punishment. However, the term verbatim is often incorrectly quoted as being from the book of Proverbs, which does contain similar language in the English translation of the Bible.

During the 19th century, anti-spanking activism found support in Horace Mann, who opposed corporal punishment in schools, according to California-based anti-spanking organization Parents and Teachers Against Violence In Education.

In 1867, New Jersey became the first American state to abolish corporal punishment in schools. The second was Massachusetts 104 years later in 1971. Currently, corporal punishment is banned in public schools in 29 U.S. states. In two of these states, New Jersey and Iowa, it is also banned in private schools as well.

According to the booklet Plain Talk About Spanking ^[1] by Project NoSpank^[2], current research in the fields of mental health and child development supports the theory that acts of violence against a child, no matter how brief or how mild, are like exposing the child to a toxin.

[edit] Crime rates and spanking bans

Many people who argue against spanking do so on the grounds that many of the countries which have banned spanking have lower crime rates than countries which do not. Norway, for example, which outlawed spanking in 1983, has the lowest murder rate in Europe, and in 2006 had the world's lowest murder rate. Sweden, which banned spanking in 1979 and was the first country in the world to do so, actually has the lowest rate of child homicide in the world.

Domestic violence and assault, according to many world crime statistics, are also significantly lower in countries where spanking is banned than in countries where it is not.

[edit] Countries where spanking in the home is illegal or restricted

According to the Center For Effective Discipline^[3] in Columbus, Ohio, spanking in the home is now illegal or restricted in 24 countries worldwide. They are:

Sweden - illegal since 1979
Norway - illegal since 1983
Finland - illegal
Denmark - illegal
Italy - illegal since 2000
Israel - illegal since 2000
Spain - illegal since 2007
Portugal - illegal since 2007
Chile - illegal since 2007
Uruguay - illegal since 2007
Venezuela - illegal since 2007
Canada - restricted since 2004.
Romania - illegal
Bulgaria - illegal
Cyprus - illegal
Greece - illegal
Germany - illegal since 2000
New Zealand - illegal since 2007
Austria - illegal since 1989
Iceland - illegal
Ukraine - illegal
Hungary - illegal
Netherlands - illegal since 2007

Most of these countries do not carry criminal penalties for spanking. For example, the law in Sweden carries no penalty. However, in many cases, those who are caught spanking must attend parenting classes.

[edit] Spanking laws in the United States

In the United States 49 of the 50 states have laws explicitly permitting spanking. The only state which does not have such a law is Minnesota, which has no law expressly banning or permitting spanking. However, there have been no known arrests or citations for spanking in Minnesota, so it is generally assumed that the state permits spanking.

Brookline, Massachusetts and Chicago, Illinois have passed legal resolutions stating that children should not be spanked, however, these are not inferred as bans.

Recently, California legislature proposed a bill that would restrict spanking, similar to that of Canada, but was met with much hostility by parents' rights groups, and criticized by some parenting experts such as John Rosemond, who does not consider himself pro-spanking but generally opposes spanking legislation of any kind.

Massachusetts is actually considering a complete ban.

[edit] Spanking laws in Canada

In 2004, the Canadian parliament passed laws restricting parental spanking, but not completely outlawing it:

It is illegal to spank any child under age 2 or over age 12.
Children between ages 2 and 12 can be spanked legally, but only with an open hand, and only by the parent or legal guardian of the child.
It is illegal to use any implement of any kind other than the hand, spank "barebottom", or strike a child in the face, regardless of the age of the child.

Members of some religious organizations, such as the Church of God, vehemently opposed the new legislation, and in some cases, have threatened to openly defy the new law or to leave Canada altogether.

[edit] Select anti-spanking individuals

Marilu Henner (b. 1952) - actress and occasional author of parenting books. She has been highly critical of spanking in her books
Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968) - reverend, equal rights activist. According to one of his daughters, he did not believe in spanking, and never spanked any of his children.
Jordan Riak (b. 1935) - Executive director of Parents and Teachers Against Violence in Educationdrafted the bill which banned school paddling in California in 1986
Blake Hutchison (b. 1980) - filmmaker