Couple Fights To Become Foster Parents Over Objections To How They Discipline Children [VIDEO]

A Massachusetts family would like nothing more than to become a foster family for young children. Greg and Melanie Magazu have two young daughters and a newborn son and by all accounts they're great parents and would be a perfect fit for the foster program. But one thing is holding them back.

How they discipline their children. Greg and Melanie spank their kids and officials say that's unacceptable:

“As soon as we got to the spanking question,” Greg says, “it was like ‘Oh. You spank your children? Well, you need to stop doing that.’ And when we said we weren’t going to stop doing that they said ‘No kids for you.’”

Indeed, the Magazu’s were rejected as foster parents because they believe the bible encourages spanking as a loving form of measured punishment – never in anger – always beginning with a chat about the reason and ending with a hug.

Here's the report from CBS Boston:

Thus far DCF officials have argued any corporal punishment might have an adverse effect for foster children placed there. A Worcester Superior Court Judge agreed, ruling that any awareness of physical punishment in the home “could very well trigger the very trauma the placement was intended to mitigate.”

So should spanking disqualify parents from accepting foster children into their home?