Michigan Legislature Debating Outlawing Childhood Marriage

In Michigan there is no limit on how young a "bride" can be, though a judge's ruling is required for those 15-years old or younger, and a parent's permission is required for 16- & 17-year-olds.

This is appalling to me.

Marriage before the age of 18 just should not be legal, however it is totally nuts that a kid who was just raped and is pregnant could be forced to be married to her rapist or someone else.

https://michiganadvance.com/2023/05/10/house-panel-weighs-bills-ending-child-marriage-in-michigan/

Trapper Gus wrote:In Michigan there is no limit on how young a "bride" can be, though a judge's ruling is required for those 15-years old or younger, and a parent's permission is required for 16- & 17-year-olds.

This is appalling to me.

Marriage before the age of 18 just should not be legal, however it is totally nuts that a kid who was just raped and is pregnant could be forced to be married to her rapist or someone else.

https://michiganadvance.com/2023/05/10/house-panel-weighs-bills-ending-child-marriage-in-michigan/

I got married at 17 and it's still working for us almost 50 years later, but we're the exception from what I've seen. It wasn't easy raising a family that young and most of the marriages that young do end in failure, I think mostly due to money problems. We did have to get it okayed by the parents and probate court. Would I encourage anyone to get married that young, no.

So wait, some Judge can decide if a 14 year old can get married? WTF? I never knew that.

Springsteen was way ahead of y'all with "Child Bride".

(also, this is a very rare tune.. didn't make the cute on "Nebraska" but a lot of the lyrics showed up in "Working on the Highway" off the Born in the USA record).

you're welcome.

Debating? Why does there need to be a debate on this?

Jake from State Farm wrote:

Trapper Gus wrote:In Michigan there is no limit on how young a "bride" can be, though a judge's ruling is required for those 15-years old or younger, and a parent's permission is required for 16- & 17-year-olds.

This is appalling to me.

Marriage before the age of 18 just should not be legal, however it is totally nuts that a kid who was just raped and is pregnant could be forced to be married to her rapist or someone else.

https://michiganadvance.com/2023/05/10/house-panel-weighs-bills-ending-child-marriage-in-michigan/

I got married at 17 and it's still working for us almost 50 years later, but we're the exception from what I've seen. It wasn't easy raising a family that young and most of the marriages that young do end in failure, I think mostly due to money problems. We did have to get it okayed by the parents and probate court. Would I encourage anyone to get married that young, no.

Congratulations on making it work. Hopefully you both wanted that. However, too many times young women are being forced into marriages that they don't want to be in.

I started dating my wife when she was 15 and I was 17... probably would have married her then but we got hitched after undergrad... 29 years now(? Maybe...)

To be fair, Only want to talk to her like 3 days a week... but we are probably stuck with each other.

AvgMSUJoe wrote:I started dating my wife when she was 15 and I was 17... probably would have married her then but we got hitched after undergrad... 29 years now(? Maybe...)

To be fair, Only want to talk to her like 3 days a week... but we are probably stuck with each other.

Marriage is a business partnership as much as a romance.

Sounds like you waited until you were both adults, nothing wrong with that.

Congratulations on the 29 years

DWags wrote:So wait, some Judge can decide if a 14 year old can get married?  WTF?  I never knew that.  

Nor did I.  Now just imagine, probably north of 50% of judges lean right and then half of those are for things like forced birth, child labor, incorporation of church into the state, etc.

hmmm, I wonder where 25-50٪ of these judges rulings are going....

The quiet supporters of marrying off young females are religious sects (typically fundamentalist Christian types and minority of Mormon sects whose core beliefs include women being subservient to husbands.

Most are arranged marriages similar other countries like India where daughters are treated like chattel and it's more of a business deal. The 15+ years older husband gets a 14 year old wife who is often "one schooled" and once legally married he can control her and their children.

Ironic many of the same GOP pols who want to point fingers at "groomers" if they are Democrats play the religious freedom card when protecting this 19th century practice of legal child rape.