Court: Spanking a child is OK
By Bob Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle
Spanking one’s child does not amount to abuse that warrants judicial intervention, at least as long as the child is not seriously injured or endangered, a state appeals court has ruled.
California law authorizes “reasonable methods of parental discipline,” which can include “reasonable and age-appropriate spanking to the buttocks,” the Second District Court of Appeal in Los Angeles said Tuesday.
The court told a Juvenile Court judge to reconsider the case of a Los Angeles County woman who was ordered to undergo parental education and counseling after spanking her two young sons with her hand and a shoe.