Gordon Clay here. I'm sure you have all heard the saying "Spare the rod, Spoil the child." While attributed to the Bible, the actual quote from Proverbs 23:13-14 is much more vicious - "Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and deliver his soul from hell."

Last month, groundbreaking research by University of New Hampshire professor Murray Straus, was presented at the 14th International Conference on Violence, Abuse and Trauma, in San Diego, CA. It's conclusion: American children who were spanked had a lower congnitive ability score four years later. The more spanking, the slower the development of the child's mental ability and the greater the probability of post-traumatic stress symptoms. We're talking about children, here, not war vetrans.

"All parents want smart children. This research shows that avoiding spanking and correcting misbehavior in other ways can help that happen."

Luckily, Oregon is one of 29 states that have legislation against spanking as a form of discipline in schools. Homes are a different issue since in many child abuse cases, the excuse is that the parent was just disciplining the child.

The good news is that the use of corporal punishment has been decreasing worldwide, which may signal future gains in IQ across the globe. 26 countires have enacted such legislation as far back as 1979.

It is time for the United States to make the advantages of not spanking a public health and child welfare focus, and eventually enact similar federal no-spanking legislation.