Smacking is illegal - but it won't be banned

Helen Clark and Sue Bradford along with MPs such as Peter Dunne and Jim Anderton have been lying to the nation: "Smacking is already illegal - it has been illegal for over 100 years".  I don't know how these politicians get to sleep at night - Section 59 states that parents may use reasonable force to discipline their children - so long as the force used is reasonable in the circumstances.  Therefore, smacking is not infact illegal.

The main reason being bandied about for the repeal of Section 59 is the 6 or 7 cases where Section 59 has let abusive parents off - when they should have been prosecuted.  There is no mention of the hundreds of times that Section 59 has been used to prosecute abusive parents.

See this post: Section 59 is doing the job for more.

To their detriment, Clark/Bradford & Co. (Nanny State) - our Government are also saying that if Section 59 is repealled, parents will not be prosecuted for lightly smacking their children.  Below is a quote from Clayton Cosgrove that I took from a meeting with him:

"Parents won't be criminalised for lightly smacking their children...  It's obvious, because the Police simply don't have enough time"
See this post for more

In his standard letter in response to this issue, Jim Anderton says:

"Repeal of S.59 will not, however, mean that a parent or caregiver will be taken to court for occasionally smacking a child as some people have suggested; most people I am sure understand the difference between smacking and violence, which seems to me to be a matter of common sense.  The Police, who are responsible for prosections in this area, understand the same distinction and would not waste their time and resources taking frivolous prosections.  Even if they did decide to proceed their judgement would still be subject to judicial process..."

So New Zealand, we are faced with the idiocy that our Government offers us.

Smacking is not OK - it is illegal.  But, you can still do it because it is common sense - "a smacking ban would defy human nature" said Helen Clark.

You see - I cannot even construct a proper sentence to describe this confusion - this monstrosity of an oxymoron that the Left is shoving down our throats.