Child marriage now illegal in Michigan as new law raises minimum age to 18

Child marriage now illegal in Michigan as new law raises minimum age to 18

Child marriage in Michigan is now illegal after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation Tuesday raising the minimum age to marry in the state to 18.

Michigan previously allowed 16- and 17-year-olds to enter marriages with the written consent of a parent or legal guardian, and probate judges could give permission to those under 16 to marry.

Child marriage is currently legal in most states, and 20 states have no minimum age for marriage, according to Equality Now, an organization advocating for human rights for women and girls around the world. A United Nations initiative has set a goal of ending child marriage by 2030.

Whitmer signed several bills banning child marriage in Michigan. Senate Bill 209 prohibits marriage of those under 18 years old. Senate Bill 212 and Senate Bill 216 eliminate the authority of guardians and parents to consent to a minor's marriage. Meanwhile, Senate Bill 213 deletes a provision in the law stating that a minor is emancipated if they are married. House Bill 4299 prohibits the use of a marriage license as proof of emancipation to rent or lease a hotel room, and House Bill 4300 allows parents and guardians to apply for an annulment of a marriage involving a minor.

GOP state Sen. Jim Runestad didn't vote on Senate Bill 209 but voted against Senate Bill 212 prohibiting guardians from consenting to a minor's marriage. Five GOP lawmakers in the state House voted against all the bills in the package: state Reps. Steve Carra of Three Rivers, Neil Friske of Charlevoix, Matt Maddock of Milford, Angela Rigas of Caledonia and Josh Schriver of Oxford.

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More than 5,400 children — those under 18 years old — were married in Michigan this century, according to data from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. The number of child marriages in Michigan has steadily declined, state data spanning 2000 to 2021 shows.

In addition to prohibiting child marriage, Whitmer also signed Senate Bill 56 eliminating Michigan's ban on cohabitation between unmarried men and women. She also signed House Bill 4202, which eliminates from Michigan law a provision stopping someone from being convicted of criminal sexual conduct if their spouse was mentally incapacitated.

"Keeping Michiganders — especially young women — safe and healthy is a top priority, and these bills will take long overdue steps to protect individuals from abuse," Whitmer said in a statement.

Contact Clara Hendrickson at [email protected] or 313-296-5743. Follow her on Twitter @clarajanehen.