Yesterday Parliament passed the Amendment to Section 59 with 113 in favour and 7 against. This is a bill which criminalises parents by making the correction of children a criminal offense, a subset of assault, worth as much as two years in jail.
One of the key features of the bill is specifically denying the use of force for correction. Yet the state itself has a “Department of Corrections”. So it’s OK for the state to use force to correct citizens, but not for parents to correct their children.
Of course we know that part of the definition of the state is that it has a monopoly on the legitimate use of force. But to see it so literally passed into law with so many parties cheering it on is sickening.
The only heartening thing about this whole business is that 80% of New Zealanders were against the bill, despite the best efforts of the media to spin the bill into A Good Thing.
Is it a vain hope to suspect that the faster the government takes away our freedom, the sooner New Zealand will realise how much we need said freedom?
This amendment isn’t going to stop parents hitting there kids. I for one will not stop
Left by Hannah on May 21st, 2007