KEY POINTS:
Opposing sides in the so-called anti-smacking bill have sent their bishops into the fray, with religious leaders on both sides of the debate moving to the centre of the board.
Anglican bishops yesterday strengthened their support for Green MP Sue Bradford's bill, saying its removal of a defence of reasonable force to discipline children would reinforce that violence against children was totally unacceptable.
Today a lunchtime rally at Parliament organised by bill opponents will be addressed by Destiny Church leader Bishop Brian Tamaki. Around the same time, an ecumenical service attended by church leaders who support the bill will be held in nearby Wellington Cathedral.
MPs supporting the bill will today propose a last minute amendment to reassure parents they will not be prosecuted for minor smacking, NZPA reported.
It is understood the amendment is a Labour initiative that will not attempt to define what sort of physical punishment would be acceptable.
A spokeswoman for Prime Minister Helen Clark refused to comment on the amendment but Ms Bradford today said she had been consulted over a possible amendment.
MPs resume their long-running debate this afternoon. Neither Ms Bradford nor her main opponent, National Wanganui MP Chester Borrows, expect the committee stages to be finished today. A final vote may be as far away as next month.
That has not stopped debate escalating, with the greater involvement of church leaders taking the discussion from the physical to the spiritual realm.
Anglican Archbishop David Moxon said the church had always engaged in honest, frank debate, and the bishops' statement was part of the process. While their position might not poll well, it was consistent with the bishops' reading of scripture.
"Reading of the Bible must always be done through the lens of Christ's teaching and life. It is inappropriate to take texts such as Proverbs 13:24 ["Spare the rod and spoil the child"] out of their ancient cultural context and out of the broader context of scripture, so as to justify modes of behaviour in a modern situation very different from that for which they were given.
"This isn't about going into people's houses and telling people off for smacking. It is about removing a loophole of using reasonable force as a defence in court. It's not an invasion of privacy, it's a way of keeping children safe."
Destiny's Bishop Tamaki has a very different interpretation. He said the bill contradicted the God-given responsibility for parents to raise their children according to biblical principle, and that included administering "loving, proper corrective discipline in appropriate circumstances".
"To pick on section 59 and then to aim it and target it on parents, to me is absolutely nonsensical. It's an attack not just on Christian parents, but on all parents.
"This will not be a pro-smacking rally, nor church or religious matter. This is primarily a stand to challenge state interference with parental responsibilities as far as child raising goes, and especially relating to positive correction. That's where our bone of contention is, it's with that."
Ms Bradford said from the first day she began speaking publicly on the bill she was aware of the religious aspect of the debate.
"It is as much a theological debate as it is a political, a social, a cultural, a psychological one," she said.
"I'm thrilled with the statement from the Anglican bishops, and the church leader's statement. Many Christian leaders from a wide range of churches have come out in support of the bill.
"I think it's fantastic."
With the support of Labour, the Greens, the Maori Party, New Zealand First MPs Brian Donnelly and Doug Woolerton, Progressive leader Jim Anderton and United Future leader Peter Dunne, Ms Bradford has the numbers for her bill to pass.
However, Mr Borrows - whose amendment to allow parents to smack their children so long as it is with a hand and its impact is "trifling and transitory" will be debated tonight - remained hopeful he could change some MPs' minds.
Countdown to law change
12.30pm. Mass rally against the Bradford bill begins on the steps outside Parliament. Speakers include former All Black Mark Allen and Destiny New Zealand leader Bishop Brian Tamaki.
1pm. Ecumenical church service in support of the Bradford bill begins in Wellington Cathedral, just across the road from Parliament. Representatives of Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist and Catholic churches will attend, and then hold a silent march to the steps of the Parliamentary Library, where they will deliver to bill sponsor Sue Bradford a list of Christian leaders who support the proposed law change.
2pm. Parliament begins sitting. The committee stages debate on the Bradford bill is likely to begin some time after 4pm, with MPs likely to spend the rest of the day debating clause four. That clause is the core of the bill and puts its purpose - removing the possibility of a person accused of assault using a defence that they were using reasonable force to discipline a child. MPs may not even vote on clause four tonight, let alone clause five or a proposed sixth clause.
- with NZPA
