TAKE ACTION

Mr.

Robert

DeLeo

House of Representatives

Mr.

Aaron

Michlewitz

House

Dear Representative,

I am writing to urge you to vote in favor of Bill S.2294 to end child marriage in Massachusetts. The Senate unanimously passed Bill S.2294 to ban child marriage on July 25, 2019, and it is now in the House Ways and Means Committee.

Between 2000 and 2016, more than 1,200 children under age 18 were married in Massachusetts. Almost all were girls marrying adult men. The youngest children to wed in Massachusetts were only age 14, which is below the legal age of consent.

Research on the impacts of child marriage in the United States and other countries shows that child marriage is deeply harmful. It puts girls—who are far more likely to be subjected to child marriage than boys—at risk of negative health problems, interrupted education, poverty, and domestic violence. Children who are married can also face greater difficulty in escaping abusive relationships.

Currently, Massachusetts law sets the marriage age at 18, but the law lets judges and parents sign off on child marriage. The statute sets no limit on how young children could wed. This is an outdated and dangerous law.

House members should act now to prioritize and pass this bill to make 18 the minimum age of marriage, with no exceptions.

I ask you to support this legislation and be a champion for children.

Sincerely,

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