Canada’s spanking law must go

Locutus

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Jun 18, 2007
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an ‘excuse for poor parenting’, doctors say.



OTTAWA — The Canadian Medical Association Journal says it’s time to do away with the Criminal Code’s so-called spanking law.

A strongly worded editorial in the journal Tuesday calls for the repeal of Section 43 of the Criminal Code, which gives parents and teachers a legal defence when they physically discipline children.

“It is time for Canada to remove this anachronistic excuse for poor parenting from the statute book,” editor-in-chief John Fletcher wrote in a signed editorial.

The editorial will likely reignite debate on a controversial topic that has inflamed opinion for decades.


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Spanking must stop: Canadian doctors call for repeal of legal defence of physical discipline | Canada | News | National Post
 

karrie

OogedyBoogedy
Jan 6, 2007
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Common sense would dictate that anything of concern to a doctor, anything requiring a court hearing, has breeched the highly limited legal 'excuse', so repealing it would do nothing to solve or prevent actual abuse cases.
 

MapleDog

Time Out
Jun 1, 2012
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I guess like other laws,this one didn't prevent some to beat the living crap out of their kids.
A little tap on the a$$,will not make an emotionally disturbed kid,most of us were spanked when we were kids,did we turn into what these "experts claimed"?
 

WLDB

Senate Member
Jun 24, 2011
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I guess like other laws,this one didn't prevent some to beat the living crap out of their kids.
A little tap on the a$$,will not make an emotionally disturbed kid,most of us were spanked when we were kids,did we turn into what these "experts claimed"?

For most, perhaps not. It did have long term effects on me. I cant look at my mother without getting angry because of it. As a result I almost never go home.

Ive always considered it odd to have any sort of exception for assault.The problem with giving exceptions is that every parent will have a different definition of what is 'appropriate.' Law or no law it probably wont stop most people who do it.
 

karrie

OogedyBoogedy
Jan 6, 2007
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For most, perhaps not. It did have long term effects on me. I cant look at my mother without getting angry because of it. As a result I almost never go home.

Ive always considered it odd to have any sort of exception for assault.The problem with giving exceptions is that every parent will have a different definition of what is 'appropriate.' Law or no law it probably wont stop most people who do it.

I highly doubt then that what she did to you was within the realms of current law.
 

WLDB

Senate Member
Jun 24, 2011
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Ottawa
I highly doubt then that what she did to you was within the realms of current law.

Definitely wasnt. But what was done would have been considered 'normal' not all that long ago. These laws werent always so specific.
 

karrie

OogedyBoogedy
Jan 6, 2007
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Definitely wasnt. But what was done would have been considered 'normal' not all that long ago. These laws werent always so specific.

No, they weren't. But, given their current wording, 'abuse' shouldn't be able to slip past using them as a justification. But, what I suspect WOULD happen should you make it cmopletely illegal, is that you will see a broad spectrum of judicial travesties. You will get the parents who get off claiming that the sound lashing their kid got was what they felt was within their realm of discipline, and with no legal definition, some judge will let it slide anyway. Or, you'll get some over zealous judge who will toss a mom of three in jail for having simply swatted a child once.
 

eh1eh

Blah Blah Blah
Aug 31, 2006
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Under a Lone Palm

The soles of these babies could pack a bit of sting.



I manage to dodge these.



I was never quite this bad.

I only got a smack when I wasn't paying attention. It was never doled out as the primary punishment. I think some kids can benifit from a swat now and again if it is accompanied by caring parenting and a good understanding of the situation is explained. Without this follow up the swat or slipper smack was in vain.
The law is a waste of time and money as a law never stopped a criminal.
 

Locutus

Adorable Deplorable
Jun 18, 2007
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The soles of these babies could pack a bit of sting.



I manage to dodge these.



I was never quite this bad.

I only got a smack when I wasn't paying attention. It was never doled out as the primary punishment. I think some kids can benifit from a swat now and again if it is accompanied by caring parenting and a good understanding of the situation is explained. Without this follow up the swat or slipper smack was in vain.
The law is a waste of time and money as a law never stopped a criminal.

Yep.

 

karrie

OogedyBoogedy
Jan 6, 2007
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I swatted my kids when talking wouldn't do it. Reason all you want with a hyper toddler as to why they can't run from you in a parking lot. It doesn't cut it. A swat on the butt and they know to follow mom like they were told, without having to find out the unfortunate way, why. Do I think parents should always strive for better? hell yes. I'm happy to say I haven't raised a hand to either kid in years (the oldest is past legal swatting age now I think anyway), and they're great kids. Thinking back though, the swats they got were pretty much always surrounding safety issues, and once they could understand the reasons not to reach for the hot stove, grab the knife off the counter, etc., there was no need for a quick attention grabber.

The problem with making any sort of physical action totally illegal is that parents are human, and it would punish too many good parents without a real return in social well being.
 

Walter

Hall of Fame Member
Jan 28, 2007
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For most, perhaps not. It did have long term effects on me. I cant look at my mother without getting angry because of it. As a result I almost never go home.
Get over it, life's too short to hold a grudge.
 

taxslave

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 25, 2008
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There is just no end to the extent some of these do-gooders will go to to control every aspect of everyone else's life.More spanking equals less ritalin.
 

MapleDog

Time Out
Jun 1, 2012
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There is just no end to the extent some of these do-gooders will go to to control every aspect of everyone else's life.More spanking equals less ritalin.

Since its only boys who get ritalin "apparently" it would be preferable if schools,had the stuff needed so boys will get lots of exercise,so they would be quiet when its time to listen in class.
 

JLM

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 27, 2008
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If there is an alternate form of discipline that works with a child I think it should be used. I have a couple of problems with spanking, sometimes it's done out of anger by the administerer, and if it's done too often the kid can get immune to and after awhile won't even remember what they were for. However it's a good "ace in the hole" for dire situations. (My brother got a damn good thrashing as a kid, when he was about 5 or 6 he and the neighbour smashed a padlock on a neighbour's cottage and broke in) The old man was NOT amused.
 

shadowshiv

Dark Overlord
May 29, 2007
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When my sister was a kid, my dad would make her get the method of her upcoming punishment. The wooden spoon. Heck, it wasn't bad enough that she was going to get a single swat on the behind(with pants on, so it's not like it would hurt too badly), she was the one who had to get said instrument from the drawer. Talk about insult to "injury".

Of course, I was always a well-behaved child so I never got it. My misbehaving days are now.;)
 

SLM

The Velvet Hammer
Mar 5, 2011
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When my sister was a kid, my dad would make her get the method of her upcoming punishment. The wooden spoon. Heck, it wasn't bad enough that she was going to get a single swat on the behind(with pants on, so it's not like it would hurt too badly), she was the one who had to get said instrument from the drawer. Talk about insult to "injury".

Of course, I was always a well-behaved child so I never got it. My misbehaving days are now.;)

Would you like a spanking now? ;)

LOL.
 

TenPenny

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Jun 9, 2004
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For most, perhaps not. It did have long term effects on me. I cant look at my mother without getting angry because of it. As a result I almost never go home.

That speaks volumes about your mother, and nothing about 'spanking'.

My mother taught me from an early age that spanking is never done out of anger, it's done to correct dangerous/bad behaviour.

The more I read, the more I think my mother was far more intelligent than 99.99% of people on this earth.