Currently, only 12 states prohibit adults from marrying someone under the age of 18. New Hampshire is on track to become the next state to ban marriage to anyone under the age of 18. A bill aiming to end “child marriage” passed in the New England state with a Democratic-led bipartisan House vote of 192 to 174. The bill was also unanimously approved by the New Hampshire Senate. While most states have set the minimum age for marriage at 16 or 17 for minors, seven states have no restrictions at all. In Kansas and Hawaii, minors can marry at 15. The debate surrounding the bill in New Hampshire involved arguments about statutory rape laws and sex trafficking. Some lawmakers argued for exceptions in cases of unintended pregnancy, emancipated minors, or parental consent. Similar bills are being considered in other states, such as California and Missouri. Virginia recently became the first state in the South to ban underage marriage. West Virginia and Washington have also passed legislation outlawing underage marriages. According to the National Coalition To End Child Marriage In the United States, about 300,000 children, some as young as 10, were married in the U.S. between 2000 and 2018, mostly girls wed to adult men. Globally, 12 million girls under 18 are married each year, with 12 percent under 15. These efforts aim to protect minors from forced marriages and potential harm.
Petrigno’s Perspective on Marriage
Petrigno emphasized that marriage should be seen as an emotional lifetime commitment founded on love rather than as a solution to an unintended pregnancy.
Opposing Viewpoint
However, Rep. Tony Lekas (R-Hillsboro) argued against raising the age of marriage to 18. He shared his personal experience of getting married at 16 years old to his wife, who was just 17 at the time. Despite their young age, they have remained together for 53 years.
