Q: Data on the number of minors who marry in Louisiana is somewhat limited. The latest information is from 2015. That year, 63 minors were married. If this new law had been in place at the time, only 30 of them would have been authorized. What is the new requirement to declare this type of marriage? At this week`s Capitol Access, Morgan Lamandre, general counsel of Sexual Trauma Awareness and Response (STAR), discusses the new law and how it passed the legislature. Nearly a quarter of a million children were married in the United States from 2000 to 2010, most of them girls who married older men, according to advocacy group Unchained at Last. Experts point out that child marriage has a negative impact on young women and can lead to social, educational and economic burdens throughout their lives. Thus, there will now be an annual report that will actually indicate the parishes in which these marriages are granted by minors. We can immediately see in which parish this is happening and if it is because someone is pregnant. I think that will allow us to look at other options, because one of the things we do know is that if teenagers have children early, they are less likely to finish school, they are less likely to go to university, and it will be much harder to find a job and stay busy. I think this will help us make further policy changes in the future. “If the consummation of this marriage would lead to a crime if that marriage had not existed, we are essentially allowing carnal relationships on a teenager to go unchecked,” said Morgan Lamandre, legal director of Sexual Trauma Awareness and Response (STAR).
“The hope is to protect children, not cover up crimes.” If at least one of the spouses has not yet reached the general age of marriage, the marriage is considered a minor. Six states completely ban underage marriage: Delaware, New Jersey, Minnesota, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and New York. Other states may require the minor partner to obtain either parental consent, judicial authorization, or both, or to invoke “extraordinary circumstances.” The minimum age of marriage for minors, when all extenuating circumstances are taken into account, is generally between 15 and 17 years, but may be lower in California and Massachusetts. Nine states do not allow a person over the age of 21 to marry a minor. Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States and its inhabitants are U.S. citizens. In Puerto Rico, the general age of marriage is 21, as that is the age of majority. The general age of marriage in Puerto Rico is 21 or 18 with parental consent. [35] In Guam, the general age is 18, but 16-year-olds may marry with the consent of at least one parent or guardian.
[36] In American Samoa, the age of marriage has been 18 for both sexes since September 2018. Previously, the age of marriage for women was 14. [37] American Samoa does not allow marriages with minors. In the District of Columbia, the general age is 18, but 16-year-olds may marry with exceptions. [35] In the U.S. Virgin Islands, the age of marriage is 14 for women and 16 for men. [38] In the Northern Mariana Islands, men must be 18 to marry, while women can marry at 16 with parental consent. [39] If at least one of the spouses has not reached the general age of marriage, the marriage is considered a minor and may require parental consent and/or judicial approval. Young people can also marry in “exceptional circumstances”. The bill also requires a judge to question each potential spouse separately to look for red flags. The judge must also ask questions about housing plans and has the right to inquire about criminal records and education.
Prospective spouses must also register for eight hours of marriage counseling. English common law applied in all jurisdictions in the United States, unless a state law replaced or modified it. In the United States, particularly in recent years, the general age of marriage has been revised downwards to between 18 and 21. [1] A new law will go into effect in August setting a minimum age for marriage in Louisiana. Proponents of a strict minimum age for marriage have called the law a child protection measure, saying it would discourage teens from marrying sexual predators, citing teen marriages with people decades old. Well, from the beginning, legislators have expressed concern about the religious issue when there is someone who is young and gets pregnant and wants to be able to have a child in a marriage. Their great concern was essentially a religious aspect of having children who are not born married. The compromise was a three-year age difference, a minimum age of 16, but to take some precautions to ensure that there is no coercion, there is no trafficking or abuse of human beings. Also, just to really have some thoughts on how these people will handle their life affairs once they get married. Laws allowing minors to marry are common across the country, NBC News previously reported. Louisiana is one of 15 states with no minimum age for marriage, according to the Tahirih Justice Center, a nonprofit that seeks to protect women and girls from violence.
And a majority of states allow 16- and 17-year-olds to marry, often with the consent of a parent or judge. Some Republican lawmakers have argued that in the event of pregnancy, it would be beneficial to marry people under the age of 18 and have also promoted the benefits of marriage. There is little variation over time or between states in laws without parental consent. [1] Prior to 1971, about 80% of states reported an age of 18 for marriage without parental consent for women and about 85% declared an age of 21 for men. [1] Q: Morgan, you and your organization supported and defended this law. Why does STAR support a minimum age for marriage? The following field contains the code section and highlights of Louisiana age of marriage requirements. You can just imagine it happening. It all starts with a few Sazeracs in the neighborhood. Maybe you met during the carnival or at the jazz festival.