It's OK to be a slapper

Yep, it's OK to be a slapper, if you are living in the UK.
It's perfectly alright to be a bit of a slapper here too, as long as you don't hit anyone.

British parents were give permission to continue smacking - or as the report says - give kids a "light slap" as a form of discipline.

And what a good decision it is too. The Government's Children Bill will abolish the defence of "reasonable chastisement" for cases of actual bodily harm, grievous bodily harm and cruelty of children. Some MP's think the law will be unworkable as it will require the prosecution to decide whether signs of beating, such as reddening of the skin or bruising, constitute an offence.

So what's changed?

Someone tell me why the hardest core opponents to such legislation don't even have kids. Even in New Zealand the norekids you have the more likely you would support smacking - Sue Bradford being an exception

This is what I had published in the Dominion Post the other day.

Children's Commissioner Dr Cindy Kiro maintains she wants to discourage people from using physical discipline on their children. She has never publically denied that she has smacked her own boys, but has spoken out against child abuse.

She was disagreeing with correspondent R….J…… who said Dr Kiro "opposes parents right to smack children."

He's right. She does.

Dr Kiro also believes that parents should be involved when teenager consider an abortion. But she considers the right of that teenager not to involve her parents a greater right than parental involvement rights, and therefore does not explain how parents can be involved in their teenager's decision on abortion if it is hid from them.

Discouraging smacking is one thing - amending Section 59 of the Crimes Act in the way Dr Kiro has recommended would making smacking illegal, an entirely different matter, and cuts against the right of parents to smack their children.

It's all very well saying that you discourage smacking and encourage girls to discuss abortions with parents. But when you support law changes aimed at minimising parental rights and preventing them of having a choice in these matters under the law, these words are hypocritical.