Brickbat: Spare the Rod
(Oksanabratanova | Dreamstime.com)
Ruth Bodnariu was waiting for the school bus to bring her children home. Instead, two cars drove up and a man stepped out and told her she was suspected of child abuse and religious indoctrination. Norway's child protection agency took all five of her children away from Ruth and her husband Marius. None of the children had ever been injured. And officials did no psychological profiles of family members before seizing the children. But the parents admitted they sometimes spank their children, and in Norway any corporal punishment, no matter how occasional or mild, is illegal.