No legal age for child marriage in half the u.s states?

lastexitlondon

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-us-canada-41727495/why-does-the-us-have-so-many-child-brides
I found this very bizarre.
In a country so big and powerful how can thos be right?
Is it for real?

lastexitlondon

So can two 12 year olds marry? Or is it like a 12 year old and a 30 year old? 
Im serious do not understand.
Its says child brides which sounds like the bride is a child and the groom is an adult?

rgambs

Religious freedom can be an ugly, ugly thing.

lastexitlondon

Is this because of religion? I really thought it was "fake news" until I read the article. Jeez unreal in this day and age. I think donny should address things like this closer to home before looking for a fight elsewhere.

tempo_n_groove

I've heard of arranged marriages where this happens.  It's so far under the radar it hardly gets talked about.

Too bad we don't have anyone in this group who has gone through this that could shed some light on it.

Jason P

Age of consent varies between 16 and 18.

lastexitlondon

The age of consent is 16 here for sex in u.k but its states that half of the u.s states have no legal marriage age. Odd

HughFreakingDillon

gross. 

hedonist

This appears to bring some clarity to the issue:
https://www.thespruce.com/legal-age-marriage-laws-by-state-2300971

As to arranged marriages, my grandmother was 13 or 14 when she and her husband were wed.  This was 1910, 1911, in Iran.  They loved each other for 55 years until my grandfather died.

Not all were / are as fortunate.

mace1229

lastexitlondon said:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-us-canada-41727495/why-does-the-us-have-so-many-child-brides
I found this very bizarre.
In a country so big and powerful how can thos be right?
Is it for real?

Although I think the clip was probably misleading, I'll say I can;t think of any circumstance where a 13 or 14 year old should be allowed to marry.
Misleading because most states without a minimum age will require a court order, and not that it isnt regulated at all which was the impression I got from the clip. The stat of 200,000 (or whatever number it was) would include the 17/18 year old couple getting married right out of high school or before deployment.
It isn't about religious freedom. Child marriage and polygamy for the purpose of religion are still illegal in almost every state. Those cults/compounds where the leader or some other member marries a 13-year-old isn't recognized as a marriage and those husbands are thrown into jail if and when the wife ever escapes. 
According to NY times in a 17 year span about 3500 child marriages occurred in New Jersey, and only 163 involved anyone under 16.
It also says 91% of the children were married to adults, but doesn't say how many of those adults were 18/19 or 40.
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/14/opinion/americas-child-marriage-problem.html

I have no issue if a high school couple gets pregnant and the boyfriend wants to be there for the child that they are allowed to marry at the age of 17, which seems to be the vast majority of of age for these cases. I've known people like that and ended up living together in one of their houses, may as well let them be married anyway.

I don't see any valid reason in allowing someone younger than that marry though. It is rare, an average of about 8 or 9 times a year in NJ, but don't see why it would be appropriate at all. If some 13 year old gets pregnant by a guy old enough to take care of her then thats just gross, and shouldn't be allowed to erase the rape charge by marrying her. 

brianlux

I had no idea this was the case in the US.  But then, it's not surprising-- sadly, America is full of perverts.  And we're not alone.

lastexitlondon

Its like its just brushed under the carpet. Strange in this modern era

mace1229

I don't know if its just me or what, but it isnt that shocking to me.
Even an article that heavily criticizes xhild marriage doesn't seem to have big numbers on the issue
http://www.tahirih.org/news/child-marriage-happens-in-the-u-s-too/

in a 10 year period 4500 children were married, but only 200 were under 16. And even though most of the 17 and 18 year olds were married to adults, 70% of the adults were under the age of 21.
So the biggest majority looks like the 17 year old getting married to a 19 year old.

The only stats that really bother me are:

— 13: Number of children under age 15 married to spouses more than 20 years older

— 25: Number of 15-year-olds married to spouses more than 10 years older

— 47: Number of 16-year-olds married to spouses more than 14 years older

So we're only talking about 85 incidents (maybe less, I'm not sure if the first stat was included in the second one or not) over a 10-year period in a state with a population of 9 million. Sure, I can't think of a reason a judge would allow those marriages and I would like to see any court records as to why they happened, but its not this huge secret being swept under the rug.

I'd be all for a minimum age with no exceptions, but there aren't hundreds of thousands of kids out there like the articles I read try to imply.

In those extreme cases, is it no longer statutory rape if there is a marriage? That just seems weird that would be approved by a judge.