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Received June 17,
2005
Judge Amy's Verdict
on Spanking
From the TV show,
"Judging Amy," CBS
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TRANSCRIPT OF THE
LAST SCENE:
Judge Amy Gray: Dr.
Reynolds. Have you made up your mind? Are you going to comply with
my order to attend parenting classes, or risk losing custody of your
child?
Dr. Reynolds: Judge
Gray... I, um... I have decided to comply with your order, but I
must say, I resent very much the state's intrusion into what should
be a private family matter. Given the climate of the times, however,
I, uh... I'm certainly not going to risk losing my child over some
spurious definition of abuse. My wife Ginny and I are the best
parents we know... And... And Seth... Is a wonderful kid, you know,
and... And we take some credit for that. And as far as we're
concerned, you can reason and cajole all you want... But a
spanking... Is worth a thousand words.
Judge Amy Gray: Dr.
Reynolds... Each year, 2,000 children die at the hands of their
parents. Thousands more are permanently disabled. Maybe from your
perspective, my mandate seems extreme. But every day I see children
who have been seriously injured by their parents, under the guise of
discipline. I'm sure you believe you would never injure Seth. But
what you did to your son would be considered battery had you done it
to another adult. In our society, we are not allowed to go around
willy-nilly hitting people - unless they're our children. And then
we call it discipline. Under the eighth amendment, we can't even
take a strap to prison inmates, and yet there's no law against you
hitting your son with a belt several times a week. He's 10 years old
and less than half your size. Think about that. What are you
teaching him about love? You can't teach your child respect without
respecting him. Our children are not our property, Dr. Reynolds. I
believe we as a society pay a heavy price for treating them as such.
We have to do better. This case is continued for review and
determination of whether you've complied with my conditions of
custody.
Next case.
This
transcript was provided to us by:
Jordan Riak
Project NoSpank
Web site of Parents and Teachers Against Violence in Education (PTAVE)
P.O. Box 1033, Alamo, CA 94507-7033
Telephone: (925) 831-1661
FAX: (925) 838-8914
Email
ptave@nospank.net
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