California bans marriage under 18; practice still legal in 32 US states
Governor of California Gavin Newsom signed legislation Wednesday setting 18 as California’s minimum age for marriage and domestic partnerships.
Assembly Bill 1267, authored by Assemblywoman Gail Pellerin, D-Santa Cruz, repeals provisions allowing minors to marry or enter domestic partnerships with parental consent.
“This is a long overdue measure to protect young Californians and minors. Today, California kids are safer than ever before,” Newsom said.
The bill was sponsored by Unchained at Last and the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls. Seventeen states have completely banned child marriage without exception, according to the governor’s office.
California was one of three states without a statutory minimum marriage age, according to Tustin-based nonprofit Global Hope 365. Under the previous law, minors could marry with parental consent and court approval.
The organization said about 35,000 marriages involving minors occurred in California between 2000 and 2021, with most involving an underage girl marrying an adult man.
Newsom signed the bill alongside media personality and advocate Courtney Stodden, who said her parents allowed her to marry actor Doug Hutchison when she was 16 and he was 51.
“Governor Newsom’s action today made clear to me and to survivors of child marriage everywhere that we should never have been expected to carry this burden,” Stodden said. “I’m deeply grateful to Unchained At Last and every survivor who fought to make this possible. California is a victory, but I’m not stopping here. I will keep fighting until children are protected from marriage in all 50 states.”
In an interview with NBC Los Angeles on Wednesday, Stodden said she was “over the moon” and felt like she was “walking through a bit of a dream,” while opening up about what she’s most grateful for.
“Even to this day, I do struggle with a feeling of guilt,” Stodden said. “I think a lot of survivors who have suffered through victimization, sexual assault, you know, there’s this kind of like, that push and pull thing, where it’s like the child and then the adult, the woman.
“And it’s like, for some reason, we blame ourselves. And today really taught me something. It taught me that what happened to me and to these other girls was wrong. And I was never the problem.”
While Mississippi and New Mexico don’t have a statutory minimum age, some other states have set their minimum ages below 18 under certain conditions.
“I am really wanting to focus on Nevada because that is where I was allowed to get married,” Stodden said. “After I got married in Nevada, they upped it to 17, but that’s not good enough for me.”
Global Hope 365 led a campaign to end child marriage through its California Coalition to End Child Marriage.
“It is an honor for Global Hope 365 to be a key part of the leadership team in this fight,” Rima Nashashibi, founder and president of Global Hope 365 and founder of the California Coalition to End Child Marriage, said. “We thank you all, the allies in this fight to end child marriage under 18, no exceptions, in California over the years.”
The organization said resolutions supporting a statewide minimum marriage age of 18 were approved by 18 California cities, including 16 in Orange County, along with Culver City and Maywood in Los Angeles County.
“The heart of this effort has always been the survivors,” Pellerin said. “They told us what it means to be a child in a marriage you did not freely choose. They told us about coercion and abuse hidden behind the appearance of consent. They told us how difficult it can be for a minor to ask for help, find an attorney, leave home, or escape the very adults who are supposed to protect them. Because of them, California children are safer.” (NBC News)
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