New York Times, May 31, 1999Nevada Bill Would Allow Spanking
By The Associated PressCARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) -- The Legislature sent Gov. Kenny Guinn a bill that would ensure parents can spank their children and erase official records of such incidents if they're not deemed to be abuse.
The Assembly on Sunday voted 24-17 in favor of the bill, which was approved by the Senate a day earlier.
Parents need to know they won't get locked up for disciplining their children, supporters of the measure said. But critics argued that a record is vital to identifying abusive parents.
``What is your evidence that parents are afraid to spank their children? In my line of work, I see too many parents that do beat their children,'' said Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie, a Democrat and former director of a nonprofit child advocacy organization.
Critics focused on a provision that would allow official records to be destroyed if the parent's action falls short of the legal description of ``physical injury,'' which includes a sprain or dislocation, damage to cartilage, fractures, temporary disfigurement and internal injury.