TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Parents in Taiwan expressed concern Wednesday (Dec. 4) over the Executive Yuan's (行政院) proposal to remove parental disciplinary rights from the Civil Code (民法), fearing it could undermine family education. The Executive Yuan approved the draft amendment to Article 1085 of the Civil Code on Nov. 28, and the Legislative Yuan (立法院) will review the proposal soon.
The National Alliance of Parents Organization (NAPO, 全國家長團體聯盟) and the Action Alliance on Basic Education (國教行動聯盟), along with 27 other parent groups, held a press conference earlier that day to oppose what they described as a "hasty legal change." Hsiao Tung-yuan (蕭東原), chairman of NAPO, emphasized that parental discipline is not violence and called for a balanced approach to family education rights and child protection, with clear definitions of physical and mental violence.
Hsiao shared his experience disciplining his children by tapping their palms, ensuring communication and guidance beforehand, and avoiding public settings to protect their self-esteem. Wang Han-yang (王瀚陽), chairman of the Action Alliance on Basic Education, cited an example of a parent injuring a child while preventing dangerous behavior, arguing that removing disciplinary rights could hinder timely parental intervention without legal repercussions.
Kuomintang (KMT, 國民黨) Legislator Lo Ting-wei (羅廷瑋) attended the press conference to support the parents, sharing his parenting experiences and criticizing the proposed amendment as excessive. Lo stated that teachers find students increasingly challenging to manage and pledged to advocate for parents when the Legislative Yuan reviews the bill, ensuring their voices are heard.
