(SACRAMENTO, CA)/Christian Newswire Assemblywoman Sally Lieber (D-Mountain View) has announced that this week she will introduce legislation banning spanking in California. According to Lieber, the proposed law would send parents to jail for up to a year and fine them up to $1,000 if they spank a child under the age of three. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has already expressed his support for such legislation. “As a parent, I am absolutely outraged that the government wants to dictate how I discipline my children,” stated Karen England, Executive Director of Capitol Resource Institute. “Instead of trying to ‘protect’ my children from my discipline, Assemblywoman Lieber should be protecting my children from sexual predators. At a time when our children face horrible danger from perverted criminals, the focus of legislation should be the bad guys—not the parents.”
“It is far worse for children if their parent is removed from the home for a year simply because they discipline their children,” stated England. “This legislation will not produce better parents, but will remove the discipline necessary to raise children of character.” “Assemblywoman Lieber has stated that her reason for introducing the bill is to ban ‘beating’ children. There is a distinct, obvious difference between beating and spanking,” explained Meredith Turney, Legislative Liaison for Capitol Resource Institute. “Beating is abuse generated by anger and frustration—it is already illegal to beat children. Spanking is a form of discipline used by loving parents who want to teach their children obedience and respect. Assemblywoman Lieber is mistaken if she equates beating with spanking—they are completely different.” “We call on every parent in California to speak out against this proposed law,” stated Turney. “Parental authority and responsibility are paramount in raising healthy children. Our legislators and the Governor need to know that we strongly oppose any measures that remove the ability of parents to raise their children according to their own beliefs.”