Bill would prohibit marriages under age 16

A recent investigation found that more than 4,400 girls age 17 or younger were married between 2000 and 2015.

A recent investigation by the Dayton Daily News found that more than 4,400 girls age 17 or younger were married between 2000 and 2015, including 59 who were 15 or younger and three who were 14.

A bill introduced by Senate Minority Leader Kenny Yuko, D-Richmond Heights, would increase the minimum age for marriage to 18 for both boys and girls, while allowing Ohioans to marry at 16 and 17 with judicial and parental consent. Marriages for any individual under 16 would be prohibited.

Currently Ohio legislation allows girls 16 and older and boys 18 and older to marry. Younger children of any age are allowed to marry with the permission of their parents and of a juvenile court.

Citing a 2012 study from the College of William & Mary, Yuko said “early marriages have alarming and often lifelong consequences on young girls, including undermining their health, limiting their access to education, reducing their economic opportunities, and putting them at increased risk of becoming victims of domestic violence.” Marriages involving teenagers are also more likely to fail than those involving young adults.

“Several advocates working to end child marriage reached out to Ohio lawmakers and asked us to change the state’s child marriage law,” Senator Yuko said in a statement. “I think this legislation should be a priority for the General Assembly.”

Yuko said his legislation would also delete outdated reference to samesex marriage so Ohio laws conform with the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Obergefell v. Hodges.