For a country that prides itself on being the best in the world, America still has a surprising number of backward laws, or more accurately, a lack of them. Beyond issues like banning weed or the persistent aggression toward the LGBTQ+ community, another problem the U.S. continues to struggle with is child marriage. In recent news, Oregon has finally decided to stop allowing child marriage within its borders. Thanks to Senate Bill 548, only individuals who are at least 18 years old will be allowed to legally enter into marriage. Before this bill, things were deeply questionable. A 17-year-old, for example, could be married off with just a parent’s consent.
It’s not hard to see how such a loophole could be easily exploited by people with bad intentions. The one giving permission is the parent, not the child. So what happens if the child doesn’t want to marry, but the parent forces it? Imagine a situation where an absent father, eager to stop paying child support, signs a form marrying off his underage daughter to an older man. That’s legal under current law in some places, and completely horrifying.
Even though the new bill has been signed and approved, it won’t actually go into effect until 2026. That means there’s still a window where, technically, child marriage can happen in Oregon. It’s an uncomfortable truth. And it’s all the more absurd when you consider that the U.S. State Department itself classifies child marriage as a form of abuse. Yet only now is Oregon addressing it through law.
Worse still, some states haven’t banned child marriage at all. California doesn’t even have a minimum marriage age. Hawaii permits marriage for those as young as 15. In Alaska, Montana, and Idaho, the age is 16.
For a nation that claims to lead the world in freedom and human rights, the United States still has a long way to go when it comes to protecting its own children. Many internet users echoed this sentiment, questioning why it took so long to make child marriage illegal in the first place. One user wrote, “Wow, took us until 2025…”
Others expressed shock upon learning that child marriage had even been legal in Oregon at all. Some praised Governor Tina Kotek for finally closing the loophole that allowed it. However, one user pointed out that three Republican lawmakers actually voted against the bill. The Redditor said,
“Legislators who voted against it:
Sen. Robinson, Noah [R]
Rep. Cate, Jami J. [R]
Rep. Harbick, Darin [R]
Guess what party they’re all three from!”
