Replying to Peaceful Parenting

I first posted this on another site and I feel that it's an important message to spread:

Let me make this clear. The physical effects of hitting children, even without leaving marks, are indistinguishable from assaults that do leave marks. Hitting children, even without leaving marks, has been shown to result in lower IQ scores and decreased self control. It is positively correlated with alcohol abuse, drug addiction, sexual addiction, and criminality. "I was hit and I turned out fine," is not an argument and is an anti-scientific approach. The consensus in the psychological community is that hitting children is invalid in all circumstances. Not only is it ineffective in decreasing bad behavior, it often leads to its increase. There is no argument to be made in support of hitting children in any manner whatsoever. Denying the harms of spanking is as intellectually dishonest as denying evolution, gravity, or the germ theory of disease. It's time we extend the same rights to children that we have extended to minorities and women.