Sensitive I wrote a bill (1 Viewer)

[kisshuhua09baby]

I wrote a bill regarding the laws around child corporal punishment and sexual aabue because of a specific loophole Ive found that essentially allows for abuse to be legal that I have long disagreed with in a strong way
Here is my bill
LC [Number]
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Title 16 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to crimes and offenses, so as to enact The Bodily Ownership & Non Violence Development (BOND) Act; to provide for legislative findings; to amend Code Section 16-5-23, relating to simple battery, so as to remove the exception for reasonable corporal punishment by a parent; to amend Code Section 16-6-22.1, relating to sexual battery, so as to include certain acts of corporal punishment within the definition of sexual battery and to provide for punishment; to provide for related matters; to provide for an effective date; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
This Act shall be known and may be cited as "The Bodily Ownership & Non Violence Development (BOND) Act."
SECTION 2.
The General Assembly finds and declares that:
(1) Recent medical research, as emphasized by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), concludes that corporal punishment, including spanking, is ineffective in teaching long-term responsibility and is significantly associated with increased aggression and mental health disorders later in life;
(2) Longitudinal studies, including those published in Pediatrics (2023) and Nature Human Behaviour (2025), indicate that physical punishment has exclusively negative outcomes, including lower IQ scores, impaired cognitive development, and a higher risk of future substance abuse;
(3) The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that an estimated 1.2 billion children annually are subjected to corporal punishment at home, which the WHO defines as a violation of a child's right to physical integrity and human dignity;
(4) Georgia case law, specifically Buchheit v. Stinson (2003), has historically allowed for "reasonable discipline" as a defense; however, the General Assembly finds this standard increasingly incompatible with modern evidence regarding child development and the prevention of family violence; and
(5) By enacting this Act, Georgia joins 65 other nations that have prohibited corporal punishment to end the cycle of violence and prioritize the safety of minors in all settings
SECTION 3.
Code Section 16-5-23 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to simple battery, is amended by revising subsection (f) as follows:
"(f) Subsection (a) of this Code section shall not apply to reasonable discipline administered by a parent to his or her child in the form of corporal punishment [Reserved]."
SECTION 4.
Code Section 16-6-22.1 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to sexual battery, is amended by adding a new subsection (b.1) and revising subsection (c) to read as follows:
"(b.1) A person commits the offense of sexual battery when he or she intentionally makes physical contact with the intimate parts of a minor in the form of corporal punishment, including but not limited to striking or spanking the buttocks or legs, regardless of whether such person is the parent or guardian of said minor."
"(c) Any person who violates subsection (b.1) of this Code section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not more than $5,000.00 and imprisonment for not less than 65 months."
SECTION 5.
This Act shall become effective on July 1, 2026, and shall apply to all offenses committed on or after such date.
SECTION 6.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are hereby repealed

What do you guys think?

 

[Chiara]

as a sexual assault victim, I strongly agree with you. I wasn't a child when it happened, but it still breaks my heart that children are being treated this way.