In a report published August 10, a map was released showing that child marriage is illegal in 17 states as advocates push for a similar ban in California. Child marriage is defined as a marriage where at least one party is under 18, a practice the United Nations describes as a human rights violation and a form of forced marriage.
California currently has no minimum age for marriage. Under existing law, a minor can marry if they obtain a court order and written consent from at least one parent or guardian. Assembly Bill 1267 seeks to change this by establishing 18 as the minimum age for marriage with no exceptions.
The bill has been approved by the Assembly in a 66-8 vote and passed the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously in June, but it is currently awaiting action on the Senate floor. The Secular Student Alliance announced on Monday that its members intend to lobby state lawmakers to pass the legislation.
Kevin Bolling, the executive director of the Secular Student Alliance, stated that no child in California should enter a marriage before they are old enough to vote, sign a contract, or file for divorce. He described the bill as a commonsense, evidence-based reform intended to ground public policy in the well-being of young people.
According to Unchained at Last, an organization working to end child marriage, nearly 315,000 children were married in the U.S. between 2000 and 2021, with many being as young as 10 years old. Data from the organization indicates that approximately 34,875 children were married in California during that same period.
Oklahoma recently became the 17th state to ban child marriage. The state's law, which raises the minimum age to 18 without exceptions, is set to go into effect on November 1. Other states that have banned the practice include Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Rhode Island, New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut, Michigan, Washington, Virginia, New Hampshire, Maine, Oregon, and Missouri.
The push for Assembly Bill 1267 has faced opposition from some groups. ACLU California Action has argued the legislation is premature while the state collects and analyzes data on marriages involving minors.
State Senator Akilah Weber Pierson, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, noted challenges regarding the age of consent for significant decisions, though she voted to advance the bill. Assembly members Diane Dixon, Gail Pellerin, Cottie Petrie-Norris, and Sharon Quirk Silva are the authors of the bill.
