California Governor Gavin Newsom signs ban on child marriage — NDTV

California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a law banning child marriage in the state. Starting January 1, 2027, the minimum age for marriage or registering a domestic partnership in California will be 18, NDTV World reports.

New rules for minors

Before the law was signed, California had no established minimum age for marriage. A minor could marry with parental consent and a judge’s permission. Newsom called the new rule a long-overdue measure to protect the state’s young residents and minors.

The governor signed the law alongside model Courtney Stodden. She married actor Doug Hutchison at the age of 16, while he was more than three decades older than her. Stodden said she would continue advocating for a ban on child marriage in all 50 U.S. states.

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The situation in other states

According to the publication, California became the 18th state to ban child marriage since 2018. At the same time, the practice is still permitted in 32 U.S. states.

Human rights groups that analyzed state marriage records estimated that 314,000 minors legally married in the United States between 2000 and 2021, including girls as young as 10. Unchained At Last reported that in at least 66,415 such marriages — approximately one in five cases — the bride was of an age at which sexual relations with her would have been considered a crime.