Thread

1. NDlurker · 1790824641 · focus · HN ↗

   I don't get how child marriage can be legal. Like, yeah, they get permission from their parents. But does the fact that they're married negate other laws??? I mean, it's still rape. It's still like child abuse. Does marriage = emancipation?

   1. john_strinlai · 1790825079 · focus · HN ↗

      >I mean, it's still rape.

      im not in support of under-18s getting married, but, what?

      1. NDlurker · 1790825176 · focus · HN ↗

         Never heard of age of consent laws/statutory rape?

         1. BobbyJo · 1790825314 · focus · HN ↗

            Yes, and the laws around that align with marriage laws, so it's still a confusing statement.
         2. john_strinlai · 1790825315 · focus · HN ↗

            if its not statutory rape before they get married, it doesn't suddenly become it afterwards.

            and, as far as i am aware, it requires judicial approval right now. presumably, if it were a case constituting statutory rape, the marriage wouldn't be signed off.

            this isn't about 9 year olds getting married to 30 year olds.

            1. vigilantpuma · 1790825859 · focus · HN ↗

               Statutory rape in California is sexual intercourse with anyone under 18. It’s a misdemeanor if the age difference is less than 3 years, but a felony if the adult is 21. So yes, a lot of these marriages would, in fact, constitute statutory rape.

               That being said, the law makes an exception for married couples.

               1. john_strinlai · 1790825995 · focus · HN ↗

                  >That being said, the law makes an exception for married couples.

                  okay, so we're back to marriage != rape.

                  1. vigilantpuma · 1790826309 · focus · HN ↗

                     I was mostly addressing the “if it wasn’t statutory rape before marriage” claim. The fact is it usually would be.
               2. belorn · 1790861490 · focus · HN ↗

                  Why does the law make an exception if the persons involved are married?

                  1. em-bee · 1790872688 · focus · HN ↗

                     because it is statuary rape even if both voluntarily participate. to punish a married couple for voluntarily having sex would be absurd.
            2. NDlurker · 1790827210 · focus · HN ↗

               No age limits in Guam and Saipan. Age limit of 15 in ¿Kansas? according to a page someone linked to somewhere else in the thread. Also that site claims the youngest marriage in the US since 2000 was a ten year old.
         3. [deleted] · 1790826158 · focus · HN ↗

            [deleted]

         4. tzs · 1790827415 · focus · HN ↗

            In the majority of US states the age of consent is 16 but the general marriage age is 18 so there quite a few states where you can have a child marriage without it being statutory rape.

            If anyone is curious, the age of consent in the US is 18 in 11 states: Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, North Dakota, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

            It is 17 in 6: Colorado, Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri, New York, and Texas.

            In the other 33, and also DC, it is 16.

            It's interesting to compare to Europe. There it is:

              18 in 3 (Vatican City, Turkey, Malta)
              17 in 2 (Cypress, Ireland)
              16 in 20
              15 in 12
              14 in 14
            

            Like the US the general marriage age is 18 in most of Europe, but several countries allow exceptions for 16-17 with parental or judicial consent.

            1. em-bee · 1790829199 · focus · HN ↗

               wikipedia lists 18 european countries where the minimum age is 18 without exception. some of which changed that only recently.

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