Good parents don't hit their children

Letter to the Editor of the Press, 10 April 07

Dear Sir,

I am writing to address a common misconception related to the Section 59 debate. The mistake many people make is to equate the verbs smack - and hit. The action of smacking is very much different from that of hitting. In cricket, the batsman steps up to the ball and hits it. To say that he has smacked or spanked the ball is poor English. A loving smack however, is ok, because the use of a cricket bat in disciplining one's child is quite obviously ruled out.

Many misinformed citizens have also written in to The Press, expressing their concern that parents should have the right to hit their children.

It is important that we do not sideline the real issue here. What is at stake is the individual (or in this case the family's) "right" to function within the law, and without the government interfering at this level.

Yours sincerely,
Andy Moore.