Old school - The freedom to raise your children in your own way.

New school - Parents should not have the right to choose how to discipline their children.

Physical abuse of anyone is against the law. Spanking, when delivered by a judicious parent, is not a beating.

Its a fine line but the responsibility rests with the parents, not the government. If a parent goes too far, we already have laws to deal with it.

Its just a way to deprive citizens of one of the last freedoms they have left - the right to raise your child according to your own beliefs.

btw - My oldest (boy) was spanked (occasionally) but the law changed and the youngest (girl) was not spanked. He is a gentle, loving and generous young man. She is self-centered and competitive with little or no concern for others. Was it the spanking that made the difference? I only know that she was much more difficult to raise and highly demanding of my time and attention. She was an unhappy, brat. He, on the other hand, was a happy child that everyone loved. He always remembered his manners.

As adults, I'd definitely say that he is a happy person with many friends and excellent social skills. She is still struggling to understand other people's boundaries. If you, as parents, can't enforce the rules, who can?