California wants to ban child marriage. Why are these civil rights groups trying to stop it?
Supporters say the change would protect minors from coercion and abuse, as about 9,000 children marry each year in California, advocates said.
- The California Legislature passed Assembly Bill 1267, establishing 18 as the minimum marriage age, and sent the bill to Governor Gavin Newsom on September 3; he has until September 30 to sign or veto it.
- About 9,000 children are married annually in California under the current system, which allows minors to wed with parental and judicial approval; previous legislative attempts to impose an outright ban have failed since 2017.
- The American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood historically opposed such bans, arguing they infringe on minors' reproductive autonomy, though Planned Parenthood remained neutral on this year's legislation.
- Survivor and advocate Sara Tasneem, forcibly married at 15 to a 28-year-old man by her father, supports the ban as protection against what critics describe as laws legalizing statutory rape.
- If signed by Newsom, the new minimum age requirement takes effect January 1, 2027, positioning California to shield minors from coerced unions alongside other states with similar protections.
17 Articles
17 Articles
Courtney Stodden Makes Ball Is In Your Court Plea To Governor Newsom To End Child Marriage
Courtney Stodden is putting pressure on California Governor Gavin Newsom over the state’s child marriage laws. The singer and model […] The Courtney Stodden Makes Ball Is In Your Court Plea To Governor Newsom To End Child Marriage first appeared on The Blast
This article is also available en español. Read it here. It was in March that a group of California lawmakers decided to address a sensitive issue: child marriage. Over the next three months, Democrats would come up with a plan to persuade their reluctant colleagues to finally ban this practice and face special interest groups that could work against it. To the surprise of many, in California it is legal for anyone under the age of 18 to marry, …
This article is also available en español. Read it here. It was in March that a group of California lawmakers decided to address a sensitive issue: child marriage. Over the next three months, Democrats would come up with a plan to persuade their reluctant colleagues to finally ban this practice and face special interest groups that could work against it. To the surprise of many, in California it is legal for anyone under the age of 18 to marry, …
California Child Marriage Ban Reaches Newsom After Years of Failed Attempts
SACRAMENTO, California — California lawmakers have sent Gov. Gavin Newsom a bill that would establish 18 as the minimum age for marriage, ending the state’s current system that allows minors to wed with parental consent and court approval. Assembly Bill 1267, authored by Democratic Assemblymember Gail Pellerin, passed the Legislature with near-unanimous support and was presented to Newsom on Sept. 3. He has until Sept. 30 to sign or veto it. Cal…
California wants to ban child marriage. Why are these civil rights groups trying to stop it?
It’s legal for anyone under 18 in California to get married. That may change with a bill on Gov. Newsom’s desk despite efforts by the ACLU and Planned Parenthood to protect the practice.
This article is also available en español. Read it here. It was in March that a group of California lawmakers decided to address a sensitive issue: child marriage. Over the next three months, Democrats would come up with a plan to persuade their reluctant colleagues to finally ban this practice and face special interest groups that could work against it. To the surprise of many, in California it is legal for anyone under the age of 18 to marry, …
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