Gov Gavin Newsom called it a "long overdue measure to protect young Californians".

California has officially banned child marriage, with Governor Gavin Newsom signing legislation to end the practice that is still legal in 32 US states.

The new law, which will come into effect on 1 January, states people must be 18 to get married in the Golden State.

Newsom called it a “long overdue measure to protect young Californians and minors”. He signed the bill into law with Courtney Stodden, whose parents allowed her to marry a 50-year-old Hollywood actor when she was just 16.

  • Catoblepas@lemmy.blahaj.zone
    5·
    2 days ago

    https://www.hrw.org/feature/2022/09/13/how-do-states-measure-up-child-rights

    Research by Unchained at Last finds that over a quarter million children, some as young as 10, were married in the US between the years 2000-2018. Most child marriages in the US are girls marrying adult men. In fact, many of these marriages occurred at an age or with a spousal age difference that would typically be considered sexual violence.

    Nearly 300,000 minors, under age 18, were legally married in the U.S. between 2000 and 2018, this study found. A few were as young as 10, though nearly all were age 16 or 17. Most were girls wed to adult men an average of four years older.

    There is no legitimate reason for a 16 year old to be marrying someone 20+ years old to get around statutory rape laws, much less ten year olds.

    • dogslayeggs@lemmy.world
      1·
      2 days ago

      I agree with everything you say here. I’m not even arguing that underage marriage should be legal. I’m only telling the person I replied to that just because an organization or person thinks there are reasons that allowing 16 years to be married doesn’t make them a “kiddie fucker” who gets their info from Epstein.

      I also never brought up a 16 year old marrying a 20 year old. I only mentioned that there are a decent number of underage marriages that do not involve pedos. There might be a legitimate reason for a 16 year old to marry another 16 year old, though there is an argument about whether they can enter into an adult contract at 16.