The New Hampshire Legislature is considering HB 378, a good bill that would raise the minimum age for marriage from 16 to 18, and we need your help to make sure this bill passes.
The bill outlaws marriage for anyone younger than 18 and removes the option to bypass the age restriction with consent from a parent.
More than 200,000 minors in the United States were married between 2000 and 2015. According to UNICEF, minors who are married are 50 percent more likely to drop out of school. Additionally, early marriage doubles a teenager’s chances of living in poverty and triples the likelihood he or she will be a victim of domestic violence, compared to married adults. Often, these child “marriages” stem from antiquated and horrifying religious beliefs that compromise the safety of children, but many states including New Hampshire, still allow the practice in order to pacify powerful theocratic constituencies.
The N.H. Children and Family Law Committee is holding a hearing on this bill tomorrow, Wednesday, March 13, in Room 208 at 10 a.m. Please show up and speak out in support of this bill. If you can’t make it to the meeting, please use our simple, automated system to contact the members of the committee and ask them to vote yes on HB 378.
