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WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - Parliament passed a measure Wednesday that tightens New Zealand's existing laws against child abuse but still lets parents spank or otherwise discipline their children using "inconsequential" methods.
The new rule outlaws child beating, closing a loophole in the country's Crimes Act that the measure's supporters said had led to recent acquittals of parents who had beaten their children with pieces of lumber, electrical cables and even a riding crop.
The measure passed 113-8 and is expected to come into force within a month. Opponents — while saying no one supports child abuse — claimed the changes intrude too far into people's homes and make police the judges of appropriate parenting.
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