Monday June 9, 2003

Canadian Supreme Court Hears Case To Forbid Parents Using Corporal Punishment

OTTAWA, June 9, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Canadian Foundation for Children, Youth and the Law (CFCYL), a group of anti-corporal punishment extremists argued at the Supreme Court of Canada Friday that even mild spanking should be made illegal.

Government lawyer Roslyn Levine offered a lame defense of the law. She suggested that the education of government warnings that spanking is ineffective and to be avoided "is more apt to change parental practices than threatening people with assault convictions." "The criminal law is a blunt instrument," she said. "Changing the criminal law does not necessarily change attitudes."

The Coalition for Family Autonomy was there to argue in support of parents using "reasonable" corporal punishment in the discipline of their children. The Coalition includes, The Home School Legal Defence Association (HSLDA), REAL Women of Canada, Canada Family Action Coalition, and Focus on the Family.

Gwen Landolt of REAL Women Canada told LifeSite, "We had some concerns that the court gave leave to appeal at the eleventh hour, and then fast-tracked the case to Friday. However, there is a possibility that the court might not fall into the trap set - that any tap on a child is abuse. So extreme is the CFCYL position, that even this court can't buy it."

See the Globe and Mail coverage:
http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20030606.wspank0606/BNStory/National/

See the Attorney General's Supreme Court Factum:
http://www.hsldacanada.org/issues/articles/AG-Factum.pdf

URL: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2003/jun/03060905.html

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