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Published proceedings

¹ Houston, TX

AAP President Robert Hannemann, M.D., FAAP, appears to have missed the significance of the conference, "The Short-and Long-term Consequences of Corporal Punishment," in his letter (AAP News, February 1997) admonishing those of us who have gone public with the proceedings as published in an October Pediatrics supplement

First, there is our responsibility to keep the public informed, whether scientific findings reinforce or contradict prevailing notions. There is also our professional need to know the limits of demonstrated fact, so that we do not perjure ourselves if called upon to give legal testimony. We have a need to objectively evaluate public policy as it is being formed: if spanking cannot be demonstrated to be developmentally harmful, is it appropriate to waste scarce resources, and threaten family autonomy with enactment of laws against it?