Zero-tolerance for child abusers
Collegian Opinion

    Almost everyone agrees that something must be done to protect our nation's children.

    Since the release of the videotape that showed a mother severely beating her child in a department store parking lot, people are again speaking out for the rights of children.

    The nation watched in horror when they saw Madelyne Gorman Toogood beating her 4-year-old daughter, Martha, after returning to her car.

    Toogood was supposedly angry that she had been unable to make a return in the store.

    Toogood, 25, was charged with the felony offense of battery to a child.

    Toogood told the media that she was not a monster and assured them this was the first time she had ever done anything like that to her child.

    What bothers us is that it happened at allÑfirst time or not.

    If convicted, Toogood faces up to three years in prison. This is a small price to pay for intentionally causing harm to a defenseless child.

    It is an outrage to think that Toogood may end up serving little jail time or simply getting probation.

    What kind of message are we sending to parents? The message is they can beat their children as they wish. The message is that there are more important considerations than protecting our children.

    We need to establish a zero-tolerance policy on this kind of behavior. It is true that all parents lose their temper at one time or another, but they need to learn alternative ways of dealing with anger.

    We need parents and caregivers to fear the result of mismanaged anger or frustration and take the necessary steps to avoid it.

    The Toogood case could end up having a positive impact if handled carefully. Parents who are prone to this kind of action might catch a glimpse of themselves in Toogood and realize that they do not want to suffer the same kind of consequences.

    Placing children in foster care is only the first step to correcting the problem.

    We need to show parents and other caregivers that we mean business. We need to start now by proving that we will not tolerate the mistreatment of our children, regardless of the circumstances.

    Parents need to know they will be held accountable for their actions.