PARIS (AFP) - A LAWMAKER and one of France's top pediatricians plans to introduce a bill to ban smacking, saying on Sunday that the practice does nothing other than teach children to respond violently to conflict situations.

'It's not about sending parents to jail or to threaten them,' said Edwige Antier, the best-selling author of more than a dozen books on parenting that are required reading for young French mothers. 'A law would mean that the state is establishing a restriction,' she told Le Parisien newspaper in an interview.

The measure would not be included in the criminal code but rather be considered a civil offense, that would not be punishable by jail time, she said.

Dr Antier said 18 countries in Europe have already taken steps to ban spanking such as Germany, Italy, Spain as well as Scandinavian countries. 'France is lagging behind. We must ban smacking", she said.

The 67-year-old pediatrician, whose books tackle everything from feeding babies solids to deciphering the secret messages contained in children's drawings, said she was convinced smacking was the wrong approach to discipline.

'In 38 years of practice, I can assure you that those children who have never received a spanking are better developed and more respectful of adult authority. The only message that you are teaching your child is that conflict can only be resolved through violence,' she said.

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