By Susan Jones
"Good parents in California could be jailed," unless they rise up and oppose a bill intended to ban the spanking of children, a conservative group is warning.
The bill, AB 2943, is scheduled for a vote on Tuesday, April 15, and the Campaign for Children and Families is urging Californians to speak against the measure at a hearing preceding the vote.
"AB 2943 would label good, loving parents -- who occasionally use a little paddle, a ruler, a little stick, or a brush to correct their youngster's misbehavior -- as official "child abusers" in the eyes of the law," said Randy Thomasson, president of the Campaign for Children and Families.
The bill is a repeat of legislation introduced last year by Democratic Assemblywoman Sally Lieber. "The vast majority of child abuse victims and fatalities are young children," Lieber said when she first introduced her Child Abuse And Infant/Toddler Protection Bill. "Too often the abuse begins as some form of 'discipline.' Existing law is clearly not doing enough to protect the youngest, smallest, most vulnerable members of our society."
The bill targets people who "willfully" inflict "unjustifiable physical pain or mental suffering" on a child.
The bill says physical pain and mental suffering are presumed to be unjustifiable in cases where certain "implements" are used, including a stick, a rod, a switch, an electrical cord, an extension cord, a belt, a broom, or a shoe.
The bill says it is also unjustifiable to throw, kick, burn or cut a child; strike a child with a closed fist; strike a child under the age of three on the face or head; vigorously shake a child under the age of three; interfere with a child's breathing; or threaten a child with a deadly weapon.
People convicted of violating those provisions could get prison sentences. They also would be put on probation for at least four years and be required to complete either a "nonviolent parental education class" or a child abuser treatment program. In some cases, the court would order offenders to stay away from the child in question.
The Campaign for Children and Families believes the bill is aimed at "good parents who occasionally spank their children." The group warns that police and prosecutors will view all parents who spank their children as suspected child abuses worthy of investigation.
Because the bill equates parental discipline with child abuse, it is flawed and must be defeated, Thomasson said. He and other conservatives say the government has no business telling parents how to raise their children.
Moreover, because California already has laws making child abuse a crime, critics question why this bill is necessary.
Original Source