About 300,000 children and teens were legally married in the United States between 2000 and 2018, according to data from Unchained at Last, a nonprofit that works to help women and girls in forced marriages.

Laws prohibiting minors to marry have struggled to pass. Only 10 states have a law prohibiting people under 18 from marrying.

Pushback to setting 18 as a minimum age for marriage comes from both conservative and progressive groups.

  • jeffw@lemmy.worldOP
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    1 year ago

    Earlier this year, for instance, a bill that would have prohibited minors from getting married in West Virginia was rejected by Republicans in the state Senate. Some opponents of the bill argued that teen marriage was part of West Virginia’s culture.

    Great argument, guys

    • Nightwingdragon@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      One of them even said that he personally knows 12 year olds that got married and defended it by saying “Guess what? They’re still married.”

      No shit, probably because she’s still a teenager who’s probably saddled with a couple of kids by now and no financial support if she tried to leave.