Should Maryland, Other States Legislate the End of Spanking?



State Sen. Jamie B. Raskin (D-Montgomery) would like to see legal restrictions on the use of physical punishment against children in Maryland.

So far, he has had little success.

“It’s really entrenched in the culture. I do think we need a social movement against violence in the home," Raskin told The Washington Post in a report on a growing effort by legislators and activists to end the practice of spanking in the United States.

It's a complex issue rooted in culture and an American aversion to "the nanny state."

Read more about Raskin's role and the national effort in The Washington Post Magazine's parenting edition online, and let us know in the comments section how you feel about parental spanking.

Do you take the stance of, "I was spanked and I turned out fine?" Or, do you see spanking as a parenting approach whose time has come and gone? Tell us in comments.