California bans child marriage, a practice still legal in 32 US states
The law sets the marriage age at 18 and repeals prior exceptions after more than nine years of advocacy by survivors and lawmakers.
- On Wednesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1267, banning marriage for anyone under 18 in California with no exceptions. California becomes the 18th state to implement such a prohibition.
- Until recently, California was one of three states with no minimum age to wed, alongside New Mexico and Mississippi. For nearly 10 years, lawmakers and advocates pushed to close the parental consent loophole.
- Survivor Christina Sutton influenced the bill's advancement by testifying before Senate and Assembly Judiciary committees. Sutton stated, "I'm honored to stand by Assemblymember Pellerin, who refused to let survivors like me be ignored."
- The American Civil Liberties Union opposed the measure citing concerns about legal protections for minors, while Planned Parenthood stopped fighting the proposal this year following Trump administration efforts to defund clinics in 2025.
- Effective Jan. 1, 2027, the law repeals provisions allowing minors to marry or enter domestic partnerships. Pellerin emphasized, "Children are children, and marriage is an adult decision.
80 Articles
80 Articles
The law signing ceremony was attended by a woman who married a 50-year-old Hollywood actor at the age of 16.
Day Around the Bay: California Bans Child Marriage Following Nine-Year Effort
Local battle rapper Frak the Person takes Anh Phoong’s jingle contest to a whole new level; SF had its first flu-related death of the season; and Newsom signed a bill banning child marriage in California after years of previous legislative attempts.
California Bans Child Marriage With No Exceptions Under New Law
Sacramento, CA — California has banned child marriage without exceptions, becoming the 18th state to completely prohibit minors from marrying after years of unsuccessful attempts to close one of the nation’s most permissive legal loopholes. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1267, which establishes 18 as the minimum age for both marriage and domestic partnerships. Previously, California had no statutory minimum marriage age, allowing minors …
Survivors laud California banning child marriage after decades-long struggle - Regional Media News
(The Center Square) - After survivors and advocacy groups campaigned for California to ban child marriage for roughly a decade, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law banning the practice. Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1267 into law on Wednesday. The law sets the [...]
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