State Senate gives initial approval to total ban on child marriage

A bipartisan bill to ban child marriage in Missouri won initial approval in the state Senate Wednesday afternoon.

Under current law, 16 and 17-yearolds are allowed to get married with parental consent. Marriage between a minor and anyone 21 or older is prohibited.

The legislation discussed Wednesday would prohibit issuing a marriage license to anyone younger than 18 under any circumstances.

Under identical bills co-sponsored by Republican Sen. Holly Thompson Rehder of Scott City and Democratic Sen. Lauren Arthur of Kansas City, Missouri would join 10 states that have banned child marriage.

“We've heard from so many people who have endured a lot of trauma as a result of getting married at a young age and often having abusive relationships, or being forced to become pregnant,” Arthur said.

“There are all kinds of individual situations that have played out as a result of child marriage,” she added, “but all of them in their own way are terrible and should be warning signs to us all, that this is no longer an acceptable standard.”

Rehder said that she got married at 15, “and so as a child that was married, I can unequivocally say this: It's a terrible idea and you're not old enough to make those type of decisions.”

“… I was very alone,” Rehder said, adding that statistics bear out that child brides often face mental health issues.

There was no opposition on Wednesday. Those who have previously opposed banning child marriage often invoke parental rights or religious liberty. Last year, Sen. Mike Moon, a Republican from Ash Grove, garnered national attention when he said: “Do you know any kids who have been married at age 12? I do. And guess what? They're still married.”

Arthur said Wednesday the bill adjusts the marriage age to align with children's limited legal rights.

“We're not telling someone that they can't marry the person they love, we're just saying that children aren't allowed to engage in legal contracts until they're 18,” Arthur said.

Rehder added that “all of us have stories of our great grandparents or