People in Vermont that want to get married have to be at least 18 starting in July, according to a new law signed on Thursday.
Republican Gov. Phil Scott’s signature officially made the Freedom and Unity State the eighth in the country to end child marriage.
Under current law, Vermonters aged 16 and 17 can get married, but only with the consent of one parent. The new law takes effect July 1.
The other seven states that have outlawed the practice for people under 18, all since 2018, are Delaware, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, New York, and Minnesota, according to nonprofit group Unchained At Last.
West Virginia outlawed child marriages for people younger than 16 in March, but it is considered a weaker bill by Unchained At Last because the other states have set the legal age for marriage at 18.
Supporters argue ending child marriage has the potential to better the education and lives of teenagers and reduce rates of domestic violence and unwanted pregnancies.
Poodlehopper on April 21st, 2023 at 23:11 UTC »
Republicans are against "grooming". But not for the reasons that they say. They just want to skip that process and get straight to baby marriage.
Tygirmunkee on April 21st, 2023 at 22:37 UTC »
Voting should be legal before marriage.
ObligatoryOption on April 21st, 2023 at 22:23 UTC »
It makes sense to me. I don't see the logic in forbidding a minor from entering into a legally binding contract for much less significant decisions, while allowing them to enter into such a serious and legally binding commitment as marriage, which typically affects other people who don't yet exist. If you're too young to handle a beer or to vote, how are you mature enough to decide your future?