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By Andrew Stanton
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A Washington law banning child marriage went into effect on Wednesday, but most states still allow the practice.
An effort to end child marriage in the United States has gained steam in recent years. In 2018, Delaware became the first state to do so, with 11 other states following suit. Advocates for ending child marriage say minors who get married face unique challenges in the legal system and economic setbacks, as well as being left vulnerable to abuse.
However, legislation to end the practice has faced pushback from some religious groups and organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union. The ALCU previously warned a California bill to end child marriage would have "unnecessarily and unduly" intruded "on the fundamental rights of marriage without sufficient cause."
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About 300,000 minors have gotten married since 2000 across the United States, according to Unchained at Last, an organization that fights for laws to end child marriage.
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In March, Washington Governor Jay Inslee, a Democrat, signed a bill banning child marriage, and the legislation formally became law on Thursday*.* When signing the bill, Inslee said the legislation "underscores our commitment to protecting kids from trauma and abuse."
*"*Under current state law, a parent can provide written consent for their 17-year-old child to get married, and a superior court judge also can grant an exception for a person younger than 17 to get married," he said. "Too often, this law has enabled the abuse of young people."
Contacted by Newsweek on Friday for comment, an Inslee spokesperson referred to the remarks the governor made during the signing.
Thirty-eight states still allow child marriage. In addition to Washington, only 11 states have raised their minimum marriage age to 18: Delaware, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia.
In Puerto Rico, anyone younger than 21 is considered to be a minor. Those 18 or older may get married with parental consent.
After Washington, New Hampshire may be the next state to end child marriage. With bipartisan support, its Legislature has passed a bill to raise the minimum marriage age to 18. The bill has been sent to Governor Chris Sununu's desk for signing into law. He has not said whether he plans to sign or veto the bill.
In May, a bill that would have ended child marriage failed to garner enough support to pass in Missouri's Legislature. State Senator Holly Thompson Rehder, a Republican, introduced the legislation, which would have set Missouri's minimum marriage age to 18.
Fraidy Reiss, the founder and director of Unchained at Last, previously told Newsweek that her goal is to see all states end child marriage by 2030.
"States can either sit around and wait for the federal government to take action and keep the girls in the state vulnerable in this way to this type of trafficking or they can do the right thing and make the marriage age 18," Reiss said.
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