Corporal Punishment of Children Should be Illegal

I look forward to our debate. And congrats on making it to Australs, how did your team do? I'll start off by presenting my arguments against spanking in the form of four points labeled (A, B, C and D). Point A: Spanking your children encourages violence and promotes physical altercations. Striking your child even if it is 'only spanking' makes them more aggressive. Effective parents lead primarily by example (Sc 1 and 2). Parents may say one thing and do another, but as the old saying goes, 'Actions speak louder than words.' Parents aren't able to say something and do the opposite without adversely effecting a child's perception of 'right' or 'wrong.' If a parent hits their child in any manner, but then goes on to say that the child shouldn't pick fights or hit others it is hypocritical and will only serve to confuse the child. Community-health-sciences professor Catherine Taylor says, "The odds of a child being more aggressive at age 5 increased by 50% if he had been spanked more than twice in the month before the study began." (Sc. 3) " I've never been able to understand how we figured that hitting a child could teach a child not to hit others." --Michael Ungar, Ph.D (Sc. 4) Spanking is violent, and humiliating for the child. Other discipline options are available for a parent who isn't 'too tired' or 'disinterested' in investing a little time to figuring out how to best teach their child good behavior. Point B: Striking a child on the bottom bears the same consequences as hitting them anywhere else. Spanking also has the added negative of 'humiliation.' Spanking is tantamount to battery. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) does not endorse spanking under any circumstance. (Sc. 5) If I hit a girl in my class on her elbow with my fist, does that make it ok? As long as I don't strike her face, it wasn't a violent action, right? If I punch in the stomach vs. the back, is that okay? No. These are all acts of violence and can all be construed as 'battery' by a court of law. So why is it that so many people think that violently striking a 'rear end' is more acceptable than slapping someone's 'face.' Furthermore, if you strike your spouse, coworker, friend etc... in this way it constitutes battery and abuse. So why is it that the smallest, most defenseless members of society don't get that same protection by law? (US) Why is it that striking a child is acceptable, but in any other forum it is illegal? Is it because hitting a kid is an easy way to teach obedience? Kicking your pets will teach them submission, but that doesn't mean it is an appropriate form of discipline. Point C: Spanking adversely effects the child's mental health and growth. Firstly, I would claim that over-aggressive behavior as established in the previous points is a negative mental trait and can lead to crime, domestic violence, and poor communication skills. But beyond that, there are other mental effects as stated below: "...researchers found harsh physical punishment increased a person's odds for having a mood or anxiety disorder, engaging in alcohol or drug abuse and risk for several types of personality disorders. They determined that between 2 and 7 percent of mental health disorders among study participants were attributed to physical punishment." (Sc. 6) If someone grows up in an abusive home, (sexually, emotionally, physically) the effects on their mental health can be seen years after the abuse occurred. So if someone is striking a child's bottom, arm or upper lags, humiliating and making a habit of establishing fear of pain in their child while promoting aggression, it follows that this would have similar long-lasting consequences. "Research published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ,) reveals that spanking increases aggression in kids and can affect their long term emotional and social development." (Sc. 8) Two case studies. Here is a video of spanking where a judge beats his daughter who is in tears and tries to avoid him. THIS IS LEGAL, but shouldn't be.: http://www.youtube.com... Second case study providing a plethora of negative effects from physical violence used as discipline: http://www.cnn.com... Point D: Spanking a child is harmful to society. Research suggests that spanking contributes to aggression anti-social behavior as stated above. If spanking teaches a child that aggression is okay and that violence is an answer, and furthermore effects their mental health to make them more likely to commit spousal abuse or pick a fight--or simply have them be emotionally stunted by the abuse--then it also has a negative impact on society. Society will suffer in schools when fights emerge. Society will suffer from the lack of resources caused by emotionally stunted intellects. Society will suffer from a wave of aggressive adults and teenagers who think violence is an answer. Closing Argument: Why should Spanking a Child be made illegal? "We all gasp at the video of the judge hitting his child, but some of us think nothing of turning an innocent child over our knee and swatting him. But the fact is, physical punishment is physical punishment, whether it's a paddle or a punch in the gut. And it's wrong." (Sc. 7) Firstly, it is a little known fact that physical punishment by parents or caregivers has been outlawed in 32 countries. (Sc. 6) Sweden was one of the first to institute this law and can try parents in a court of law if they smack their child on the rear, in the same way that a parent in the U.S. can be tried for smacking a child on the face. I argue that physical punishment is child abuse. What is child abuse? "Department for Children And Families (DCF) define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or other caregiver that results in harm, potential for harm, or threat of harm to a child." We've established that there is potential for emotional, relational harm in a child by instilling a nature of aggression and violence. We've further established that striking a child is harmful simply because it is inflicting physical pain and I took it a step further to suggest that the anatomy of the part you are physically assaulting, while it may increase pain, does not necessarily make the act of violence any more acceptable. Corporal punishment hurts the child physically and emotionally, stunts the child's emotional growth, and has the potential to lead to harmful repercussions and aggressive tendencies down the road. Battery against one's parents, neighbors, coworkers is illegal, and against a defenseless child it should be as well. Loosing aggressive, emotionally stunted individuals on society is detrimental and unsafe for society itself. There are alternatives to physically striking your child. Violence is an unnecessary form of punishment. I find that these combined points conclude that corporal punishment, an act that instills fear, breeds aggression and harms society, should be made illegal. I thank you for your time and look forward to reading your rebuttal. Sources 1. Parenting 101 "Leading by Example" http://www.justmommies.com... 2. http://www.lds.org... 3. http://www.time.com... 4. http://www.psychologytoday.com... 5. http://www.time.com... 6. http://www.cbsnews.com... 7. http://thestir.cafemom.com... 8. http://blogs.babycenter.com...