5 December 2007

He Mana tō ia Tamaiti/ Every Child Counts

Family First tries to hoodwink NZ public

“It is a pity that Bob McCroskrie, National Director of Family First attempts to mislead New Zealanders with the spurious US research he quoted yesterday regarding the use of physical punishment of children,” said Ian Hassall of Every Child Counts.

“The fact is that the American College of Pediatricians quoted by Bob McCroskrie is not the representative body of American paediatricians – that is the American Academy of Pediatrics. The College quoted by McCroskrie has 59 charter members listed on its website. In contrast the Academy represents 60,000 pediatricians.”

“Even a cursory glance at the respective websites indicates the difference in the two organisations. The Academy’s website brims with material on children’s health. The College’s website leads with a press release promoting spanking, an attack on homosexual couples as parents, support for a federal act restricting the definition of marriage and restricting abortion.”

“In short, Bob McCroskrie is quoting a small non-representative group of American paediatricians pursuing the same conservative social agenda as he is,” concluded Ian Hassall.

Ian Hassall, himself a former paediatrician and Children’s Commissioner, is a member of the Every Child Counts Steering Group.

ENDS

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