Kansas Lawmaker Wants To Legalize Spanking Kids Hard Enough To Leave a Mark

Yes, you read that headline correctly. A lawmaker in Kansas is trying to push forward a bill that would allow teachers, caregivers and parents to spank children, and not just spank them, but spank them hard enough to leave marks.

According to KCTV, the bill was  created by State Rep. Gail Finney, a Democrat from Wichita and is proposing a bill that would "allow up to 10 strikes of the hand and that could leave redness and bruising." It would also allow parents to give permission for others to spank their children. (It does keep hitting with a closed fist, hits to the head or body, or using a belt or switch illegal.)

She says she wants to,

Restore parental rights and improve discipline.

Now, I came from a time when spanking was okay, and the fear of getting swatted on the rear kept me out of trouble more than a few times, so I am not morally opposed to spanking. For some kids and parents it can work wonders, but for others it can be taken way to far and become way too violent. There is a big blurry grey line of what is okay and what is not.

However, this bill seems more than a little shocking to me. I can't imagine any lawmaker with a conceive signing a bill that says, 'Sure you can whack your kid. Yeah, you can do it hard enough to leave marks too, but just make sure you stop at number 10, anything more than that is just cruel.'

I will agree with the representative that some laws have taken a toll on parental rights and there is a big discipline problem in a lot of households, but this bill isn't going to help anyone. I think it might even increase the amount of violence some kids see once an anger-prone parent thinks they can hit their kid as hard as they want, up to ten times. (Because, hey, it'd be legal.)

And allowing other people to spank your kid?! Can you imagine seeing "May we spank your child if they are being unruly?" on a day care waiver?

Maybe I'm way off base here, but this bill could be one of the worst ideas ever. Absolutely ludicrous.

Thoughts?