 |
  |
|
"We don’t want to criminalise good parents who occasionally give their children a light smack... ...Chester Borrows, has put forward an amendment to Sue Bradford’s Bill that would [ensure this does not happen]. In my view, this is the correct response, and the one Parliament should adopt." The bill as it stands will criminalise good parents who occasionally smack their children lightly. Proponents of the bill say that doesn’t matter; that in reality no one is ever going to be prosecuted for lightly smacking their child. But if the reality is that no one is ever going to be prosecuted for lightly smacking their child, then don’t make it illegal. Don’t make it a crime. It’s poor law-making to write a very strict law and then trust the police and the courts not to enforce it strongly.  "The repeal of Section 59 of the Crimes Act will criminalise every parent who occasionally corrects their child by smacking them lightly. Supporters of the bill say this doesn't matter because no one will be prosecuted for correcting children with a light smack. But if they are right, and if no one is going to be prosecuted for lightly smacking their child, then it shouldn't be illegal. This is bad law. The backers of this bill are saying "trust the police and the courts not to enforce it". We need to do better than that."  "The Labour Government has shown utter contempt for New Zealanders and the democratic process with its plan to railroad the anti-smacking bill through Parliament, says National Party Leader John Key. "The Labour-led Government knows the measure is deeply unpopular, so it plans to act against the wishes of the majority of Kiwis and ram the bill through under urgency. This is a deeply cynical abuse of power as Labour tries to clear the decks of this controversial issue. Helen Clark has refused to let her MPs vote the way they really think on this bill. To ram it through under the cover of urgency shows just how out of touch her government has become."  "The referendum should take place at the general election in 2008 and quite frankly the behaviour of the prime minister [Helen Clark] smacks of arrogance and wasteful behaviour... ...this is about democracy, the right of people to be heard"  |
|
"I will not support a bill that leaves otherwise good parents at the mercy of the police and the judiciary...
[there's] a major problem with the current wording...
For me, a result that sees the criminalisation of parents for a light smack is simply not on the table."
- JohnKey.co.nz, 18 April 2007