Hitting Bottom: Why America Should Outlaw Spanking

Emily Bazelon wrote an article opposing California assemblywoman, Sally Lieber’s proposal to ban spanking. Emily Bazelon’s viewpoint is shared by the majority of individuals responding to a poll pertaining to Lieber’s bill.  The poll reflected that only twenty-three percent of poll respondents supported the Lieber bill.  Bazelon rejected the strong language in the bill to support her argument because she considers spanking to be crucial disciplinary tool.  Bazelon supports her thesis by citing statistics from other countries that prohibit this disciplinary action. For example, spanking children is prohibited in Sweden.  Moreover, Bazelon cites a United States survey that reflects that eighty-four percent of American parents believe that spanking is necessary. Bazelon considered counter arguments in her critique and attacked arguments in Lieber’s proposal.  Specifically, Bazelon argues that the real purpose of the proposal is to help prosecutors bring charges against abusive parents and not necessarily send parents to jail or send children to foster care. I believe that Bazelon’s article is controversial but fairly considers a parents’ need to discipline children versus protecting children from the physical and emotional abuse associated with spanking.