Child Marriage Ban Bill Defeated in West Virginia House

[grasping the after wind]

So long as they're adults, this is irrelevant. We're talking about closing off an exception that is not needed, not the affirmation of a right. They're not prohibited from marrying altogether, just right this moment.

If a 16 or 17 year old couple is mature enough to decide to get married and their families approve, I see no reason why they can't wait until they're 18. A 1-2 year engagement is hardly unusual.

What logical sense does it make for it to be legal with parental consent (in some cases people have argued without parental consent) to join the armed forces, have an abortion, delay puberty, and remove one's genitals prior to 18, but not legal for a couple to marry before 18? I certainly would like to see some logical consistency in people's positions. Either people under the age of 18 can be trusted to make life-altering decisions or they cannot be.

 

[rturner76]

Where are these arranged marriages with children and old men taking place? Is this a big problem in West Virginia? Where in the US is this commonplace?

Child marriage, or marriage before age 18, was legal in all 50 U.S. states as of 2017. Thanks to Unchained’s relentless advocacy, that is changing. Delaware and New Jersey in 2018 became the first two states to end this human rights abuse, followed by American Samoa in 2018, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Pennsylvania and Minnesota in 2020, Rhode Island and New York in 2021 and Massachusetts in 2022.

However, child marriage remains legal in 43 states and is happening in the U.S. at an alarming rate: Unchained’s groundbreaking research revealed that nearly 300,000 children as young as 10 were married in the U.S. between 2000 and 2018 – mostly girls wed to adult men.

1. Child marriage destroys nearly every aspect of American children’s lives, including their health, education and economic opportunities. It even undermines their physical safety: Individuals in the U.S. who were married before age 18 report high rates of physical, sexual, financial or emotional abuse during their marriage as well as unwanted or unplanned pregnancies.
   
   And the impacts of underage marriage are even more severe for teen mothers. Teen mothers who marry and then divorce are more likely to suffer economic deprivation and instability than teen mothers who stay single – and marriage before age 18 has a 70-80% divorce rate.
   
   
2. Child marriage undermines statutory rape laws. In most states and under federal law, sex with a child that would otherwise be considered rape – in some cases, felony rape – becomes legal within marriage. In those situations, the marriage license becomes a “get out of jail free” card for a child rapist.
   
   In some states, statutory rape remains a crime within marriage. The marriage is legal, but sex within the marriage is rape. In those situations, the state that issues the marriage license sends a child home to be raped.
   
   At least 60,000 child marriages in the U.S. between 2000 and 2018 occurred at an age or with a spousal age difference that should have been considered a sex crime. Of those child marriages, 88% gave a rapist a “get out of jail free” card, while 12% sent a child home to be raped. Either way, the marriage license made a mockery of statutory rape laws.

About Child Marriage in the U.S. - Unchained At Last

Unchained started and now leads a growing national movement to end child marriage in the United States. Here are the three main reasons we must end child marriage in the U.S.

www.unchainedatlast.org

Why would someone support the buying and selling of children to be used as sex objects and slaves? Do we support human trafficking in order to get our mail rder brides that are still children? This is the United States of America. Don't we support personal freedom over sex slavery? Do we want to be a country of Sharia law where women have no freedom of choice? It seems our military has killed thousands of people for practicing these archaic laws and now we want to allow it in our country? It doesn't make sense.

 

[BPPLEE]

Child marriage, or marriage before age 18, was legal in all 50 U.S. states as of 2017. Thanks to Unchained’s relentless advocacy, that is changing. Delaware and New Jersey in 2018 became the first two states to end this human rights abuse, followed by American Samoa in 2018, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Pennsylvania and Minnesota in 2020, Rhode Island and New York in 2021 and Massachusetts in 2022.

However, child marriage remains legal in 43 states and is happening in the U.S. at an alarming rate: Unchained’s groundbreaking research revealed that nearly 300,000 children as young as 10 were married in the U.S. between 2000 and 2018 – mostly girls wed to adult men.

1. Child marriage destroys nearly every aspect of American children’s lives, including their health, education and economic opportunities. It even undermines their physical safety: Individuals in the U.S. who were married before age 18 report high rates of physical, sexual, financial or emotional abuse during their marriage as well as unwanted or unplanned pregnancies.
   
   And the impacts of underage marriage are even more severe for teen mothers. Teen mothers who marry and then divorce are more likely to suffer economic deprivation and instability than teen mothers who stay single – and marriage before age 18 has a 70-80% divorce rate.
   
   
2. Child marriage undermines statutory rape laws. In most states and under federal law, sex with a child that would otherwise be considered rape – in some cases, felony rape – becomes legal within marriage. In those situations, the marriage license becomes a “get out of jail free” card for a child rapist.
   
   In some states, statutory rape remains a crime within marriage. The marriage is legal, but sex within the marriage is rape. In those situations, the state that issues the marriage license sends a child home to be raped.
   
   At least 60,000 child marriages in the U.S. between 2000 and 2018 occurred at an age or with a spousal age difference that should have been considered a sex crime. Of those child marriages, 88% gave a rapist a “get out of jail free” card, while 12% sent a child home to be raped. Either way, the marriage license made a mockery of statutory rape laws.

About Child Marriage in the U.S. - Unchained At Last

Unchained started and now leads a growing national movement to end child marriage in the United States. Here are the three main reasons we must end child marriage in the U.S.

www.unchainedatlast.org

Why would someone support the buying and selling of children to be used as sex objects and slaves? Do we support human trafficking in order to get our mail rder brides that are still children? This is the United States of America. Don't we support personal freedom over sex slavery? Do we want to be a country of Sharia law where women have no freedom of choice? It seems our military has killed thousands of people for practicing these archaic laws and now we want to allow it in our country? It doesn't make sense.

About your stats 300,000 10 year olds didn’t get married “ Nearly 300,000 minors, under age 18, were legally married in the U.S. between 2000 and 2018, this study found. A few were as young as 10, though nearly all were age 16 or 17. Most were girls wed to adult men an average of four years older.”

 

[rturner76]

About your stats 300,000 10 year olds didn’t get married “ Nearly 300,000 minors, under age 18, were legally married in the U.S. between 2000 and 2018, this study found. A few were as young as 10, though nearly all were age 16 or 17. Most were girls wed to adult men an average of four years older.”

So you do actually support children being married to the highest bidder? Don't you think children should be treated as children and not a snack for some old man? Why do you support child bride laws?

 

[BPPLEE]

So you do actually support children being married to the highest bidder? Don't you think children should be treated as children and not a snack for some old man? Why do you support child bride laws?

I haven’t said anything about what I do or don’t support

 

[Larniavc]

ETA: Forgot the link

Child marriage ban bill defeated in West Virginia House

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A bill that would have prohibited minors from getting married in West Virginia was defeated Wednesday night in a legislative committee.

apnews.com

This is a big win for degenerates who want to marry children.

 

[Larniavc]

I’m sure there’s plenty of documentation to support that.

"Most sexual abuse offenders are acquainted with their victims; approximately 30% are relatives of the child, most often brothers, fathers, uncles, or cousins; around 60% are other acquaintances, such as "friends" of the family, babysitters, or neighbors; strangers are the offenders in approximately 10% of child sexual abuse cases."

Child sexual abuse - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

You REALLY need to educate yourself.

 

[Larniavc]

Okay, why should you be an adult? What’s the difference between 17 years, 11 1/2 months, and 18 years?

You're making Christians look terrible by holding this position while being Christian.

 

[RocksInMyHead]

---SE---

It’s inconsistent that you can get married at 16, serve in the military and vote at 18 but can’t buy alcohol until you’re 21. There isn’t a steadfast guideline for how old a person should have to be to get married

There is a standard age of majority in the US (18). Any exceptions to that - getting married at 16, restricting alcohol sales to 21+, etc - are defined by separate laws. However, I fail to see any proper justification for allowing people to marry at 16, which brings into question the necessity of creating that exception.

What logical sense does it make for it to be legal with parental consent (in some cases people have argued without parental consent) to join the armed forces, have an abortion, delay puberty, and remove one's genitals prior to 18, but not legal for a couple to marry before 18? I certainly would like to see some logical consistency in people's positions. Either people under the age of 18 can be trusted to make life-altering decisions or they cannot be.

First of all, if parental consent is required, then they're explicitly not being trusted to make life-altering decisions.

Second, the difference is that - in the majority of cases - people marrying younger than 18 are not going to their parents to ask permission, but rather are being pressured into marriage because of pregnancy or simply because they were caught having sex. It's not truly "parental permission" - more "parental forcing."

 

[BPPLEE]

---SE---


There is a standard age of majority in the US (18). Any exceptions to that - getting married at 16, restricting alcohol sales to 21+, etc - are defined by separate laws. However, I fail to see any proper justification for allowing people to marry at 16, which brings into question the necessity of creating that exception.


First of all, if parental consent is required, then they're explicitly not being trusted to make life-altering decisions.

Second, the difference is that - in the majority of cases - people marrying younger than 18 are not going to their parents to ask permission, but rather are being pressured into marriage because of pregnancy or simply because they were caught having sex. It's not truly "parental permission" - more "parental forcing."

I was in agreement with most of your post until I got to this,”Second, the difference is that - in the majority of cases - people marrying younger than 18 are not going to their parents to ask permission, but rather are being pressured into marriage because of pregnancy or simply because they were caught having sex. It's not truly "parental permission" - more "parental forcing." You have absolutely no way of knowing that it is pure speculation

 

[RocksInMyHead]

You have absolutely no way of knowing that it is pure speculation

True, but I think it's a reasonable assumption that over 50% of marriages involving a minor were the result of either parental pressure or pressure from an adult partner (or both). There aren't really any good reasons to rush into marriage rather than waiting a few years. Off the top of my head I can come up with:

1. Pregnancy. Not a good reason for marriage. "Shotgun" marriages rarely work out on a statistical basis, and it's not necessary. You can remain in a committed relationship until you turn 18, then get married at that point if you still love each other and want to spend your whole lives together.

2. We want to have sex and our culture prohibits sex outside of marriage. Not a good reason for marriage. If you love each other and want to remain committed to your culture, you can wait until you're 18.

3. My girlfriend/boyfriend is dying and I want to show how much I love her/him. Romantic, but not a good reason for marriage. There are plenty of other ways to show how much you love a person.

4. Tax/insurance benefits. Potentially a decent reason, but highly, highly unlikely to be necessary or relevant at 16.

That's really about it.

 

[BPPLEE]

True, but I think it's a reasonable assumption that over 50% of marriages involving a minor were the result of either parental pressure or pressure from an adult partner (or both). There aren't really any good reasons to rush into marriage rather than waiting a few years. Off the top of my head I can come up with:

1. Pregnancy. Not a good reason for marriage. "Shotgun" marriages rarely work out on a statistical basis, and it's not necessary. You can remain in a committed relationship until you turn 18, then get married at that point if you still love each other and want to spend your whole lives together.

2. We want to have sex and our culture prohibits sex outside of marriage. Not a good reason for marriage. If you love each other and want to remain committed to your culture, you can wait until you're 18.

3. My girlfriend/boyfriend is dying and I want to show how much I love her/him. Romantic, but not a good reason for marriage. There are plenty of other ways to show how much you love a person.

4. Tax/insurance benefits. Potentially a decent reason, but highly, highly unlikely to be necessary or relevant at 16.

That's really about it.

More speculation.

 

[Ceallaigh]

My grandmother was 16 when my 38 year old grandfather married her circa 1921. The only problem with the marriage is he was a bipolar genius, so he had a tendency not to be around as much as he should have. But other than him being eccentric, my mother never mentioned anything negative about him or the marriage.

The story was he saw her chasing after a goat and felt sorry for her. My grandmother wasn't particularly attractive so I doubt it was a matter of lust.

 

[RocksInMyHead]

More speculation.

Why do you think there should be an exception to allow people to get married before they reach the age of majority?

 

[BPPLEE]

Why do you think there should be an exception to allow people to get married before they reach the age of majority?

Age of majority?

 

[RocksInMyHead]

Age of majority?

18. That's the default age of adulthood in our country - the point at which you are legally able to enter into a contract (like marriage). There are certain things that are permitted at different times, but those are all exceptions created by separate laws (like laws allowing minors to marry with parental permission).

 

[Larniavc]

My grandmother was 16 when my 38 year old grandfather married her circa 1921.

That is entirely inappropriate.

 

[probinson]

Why isn't that problematic? Very few people who marry at 16 are mentally prepared for that commitment, and that's hardly something that parents are equipped to assess.

As the divorce rate in the US would indicate, very few people at ANY age are mentally prepared for the commitment of marriage. So I'm not sure what your point is...

 

[Ceallaigh]

That is entirely inappropriate.

Perhaps. But if it hadn't happened, you wouldn't be benefitting from all of my wisdom.

 

[probinson]

So long as they're adults, this is irrelevant. We're talking about closing off an exception that is not needed, not the affirmation of a right. They're not prohibited from marrying altogether, just right this moment.

If a 16 or 17 year old couple is mature enough to decide to get married and their families approve, I see no reason why they can't wait until they're 18. A 1-2 year engagement is hardly unusual.

Why are you so adamantly in favor of the government intervening in people's personal lives?

I would generally agree that most 16 or 17 year olds should not get married. However, I don't know if you saw that I posted earlier in the thread that my sister married at 17 and was married her entire senior year of high school. My parents consented to their marriage, and today, they've been happily married with three adult children for over 35 years.

So there are exceptions, and how is it your concern or the concern of the government if someone chooses to be an exception?