Backlash Mounts: GOP Leader’s Alarming Comments on Child Marriage Stir Debate

profile
Posted by Eileen Stewart May 5, 2024
Backlash Mounts: GOP Leader's Alarming Comments on Child Marriage Stir Debate

A bill to outlaw child marriage and raise the legal age of marriage to 18 was approved by the New Hampshire House. In March, the Senate approved the bill with a unanimous vote. It was approved by the House on Thursday, 192-174. Governor Chris Sununu will now sign the bill into law.

Representative Jess Edwards was among those who voted against, and her remarks caused others to gasp out loud.

“… If we continually restrict the freedom of marriage as a legitimate social option, when we do this to people who are a ripe, fertile age and may have a pregnancy and a baby involved, are we not, in fact, making abortion a much more desirable alternative, when marriage might be the right solution for some freedom-loving couples?” he said.

Edwards feels that girls at 16 are old enough to be married in a state where 18 is not considered old enough to drink. Elizabeth, Edwards’ daughter, was a state lawmaker; Edwards claimed that her work as a representative inspired him to seek for government. It’s his third term as mayor.

“Child marriage is currently legal in 38 states (only Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont have set the minimum age at 18 and eliminated all exceptions), and 20 states do not require any minimum age for marriage,” tweeted Shannon Watts, an advocate for child safety and gun control.

Read Also: DOJ Report: Wisconsin Student’s Pellet Rifle Pointing Leads to Fatal Encounter with Police

In the last six years, this would be the second time that the marriage age in New Hampshire has been raised. 2018 saw the signing of a bill by Sununu raising the marriage age to sixteen. The legislation had permitted 13-year-old girls and 14-year-old boys to get married with parental and judicial consent for over a century.

Two changes were put out on Thursday that would make it possible for people under the age of 18 to marry provided they have received legal emancipation.

In 2018, Rep. Cassandra Levesque, D-Barrington, championed the bill while she was a Girl Scout and a senior at Dover High School. She is now one of SB 359’s seven co-sponsors.

“For the past 10 years, I have researched child marriage,” Levesque stated. “I’ve learned about the devastating effects of child marriage.”

Reference

profile
Eileen Stewart
View More Posts
With more than two years of expertise in news and analysis, Eileen Stewart is a seasoned reporter. Eileen is a respected voice in this field, well-known for her sharp reporting and insightful analysis. Her writing covers a wide range of subjects, from politics to culture and more.