England criminalizes smacking children

The BBC reports:

Parents in England and Wales who smack children so hard it leaves a mark will face up to five years in jail under new laws in force from Saturday.

Mild smacking is allowed under a "reasonable chastisement" defence against common assault.

But any punishment which causes visible bruising, grazes, scratches, minor swellings or cuts can face action.

This didn't satisfy the anti-spanking zealots. One of them said, "Defining acceptable ways to hit children should become a thing of the past. It should be just as wrong to hit a child as it is to hit an adult."

This is from a country that doesn't believe in self-defense against home invaders. The academic studies have failed to show any harm to mild spanking, and most American parents believe that spanking is necessary.