When the House passed the bill, several conservative Republicans, whose party controls the House, balked at the idea, heavily rewriting the bill to allow under-18s to marry with parental consent, requiring those under 16 to get judicial approval. Nearly a quarter of a million children were married in the United States from 2000 to 2010, most of them girls who married older men, according to advocacy group Unchained at Last. Experts point out that child marriage has a negative impact on young women and can lead to social, educational and economic burdens throughout their lives. The debate in the Legislative Assembly has been intense. Some lawmakers have argued that some 16-year-olds are mature enough to marry and that the bill will require pregnant women under 16 to become single parents, at least for a few years. Since August, people under the age of 16 cannot marry, and people between the ages of 16 and 17 cannot marry someone three years of age or older. Sixteen- and 17-year-olds need permission from their parents and a judge. In Massachusetts, the general age of marriage is 18, but minors can be married with judicial approval. Unlike many other states,[2] child marriage in Massachusetts does not automatically emancipate the minor or increase his or her legal rights beyond allowing the minor to consent to certain medical treatments. [3] Under the proposed legislation, 16- and 17-year-olds would have to obtain parental and judicial consent to marry, and the age difference between a minor and an adult should not exceed three years. Proponents of a strict minimum age for marriage have called the law a child protection measure, saying it would discourage teens from marrying sexual predators, citing teen marriages with people decades old. Most states have a minimum age of marriage for minors with parental consent, which ranges from 12 to 17. However, California and Mississippi do not have a minimum age for minors to marry with parental consent.
Massachusetts has the lowest minimum age of marriage with parental consent of 14 for boys and 12 for girls. BATON ROUGE, Louisiana. Louisians under the age of 16 will not be able to marry if Gov. John Bel Edwards signed a bill that lawmakers sent to his office in the final minutes of this year`s legislature. He has already signaled his approval of the concept, but has not committed to signing the bill because he had not yet read it. Proponents say a minimum age can protect teens from sexual predators. Opponents, mostly conservative Republicans, have argued that they do not want to discourage pregnant teenage girls from marrying. In the United States, the age of marriage is determined by each state and territory, either by common law or by individual laws. The minimum age of marriage is intended to prevent child marriage. A person in the United States can marry without parental consent at the age of 18 in all states except Nebraska, where the age is 19. In 6 states, a 21-year-old cannot marry a person under the age of 18 – Missouri, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada.
In 1 state, Florida, a 20-year-old cannot marry someone under the age of 18. In 3 states, Georgia, Tennessee, and Ohio, a 22-year-old cannot marry someone under the age of 18. In Indiana, this is also most often true, although a 21-year-old can marry a 17-year-old. To get married, a person must be at least 16 years old — an age limit the state did not have before. All 16- and 17-year-olds must have the consent of their parents and the judge and may not marry anyone over three years of age. Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States and its inhabitants are U.S. citizens. In Puerto Rico, the general age of marriage is 21, as that is the age of majority. The general age of marriage in Puerto Rico is 21 or 18 with parental consent. [35] In Guam, the general age is 18, but 16-year-olds may marry with the consent of at least one parent or guardian. [36] In American Samoa, the age of marriage has been 18 for both sexes since September 2018.
Previously, the age of marriage for women was 14. [37] American Samoa does not allow marriages with minors. In the District of Columbia, the general age is 18, but 16-year-olds may marry with exceptions. [35] In the U.S. Virgin Islands, the age of marriage is 14 for women and 16 for men. [38] In the Northern Mariana Islands, men must be 18 to marry, while women can marry at 16 with parental consent. [39] The bill, introduced in March by Democratic Senator Yvonne Dorsey-Colomb, would prevent anyone under the age of 16 from marrying in the state and prevent 16- and 17-year-olds from marrying someone over the age of four. Louisiana currently has no minimum age for marriage. Instead, a judge must approve marriages involving a child under the age of 16, and both parents must approve a marriage to a 16- or 17-year-old.
This system can allow an adult to impregnate a child and then marry him to avoid suspicion or criminal sanctions. In California, the applicable law is found in California Family Code Sections 302 and 304 (2019): “An unmarried person under the age of 18 may obtain a marriage certificate upon receipt of a court order authorizing the person or persons to marry in accordance with the requirements described in Section 304. [11] Historically, Section 56 of the California Civil Code (1872) established 15 as the age at which a woman could marry without her parents` consent. In 1921, the age was raised to 18. [12] Louisiana did not have a minimum age for marriage, although people under the age of 18 need parental consent and judicial authorization under the age of 16. Over the past 15 years, about 200,000 minors have married. Underage marriages in the United States are not permitted except in exceptional circumstances, including the consent of a clerk or judge, the consent of the minor`s parents or guardians, if one of the parties is pregnant or has given birth to a child, or if the minor is emancipated. New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware do not allow underage marriage in exceptional circumstances. BATON ROUGE, Louisiana. People must be at least 16 years old to marry in Louisiana under a new law signed into law by Governor John Bel Edwards. If at least one of the spouses has not yet reached the general age of marriage, the marriage is considered a minor.
Six states completely ban underage marriage: Delaware, New Jersey, Minnesota, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and New York.
