The legal age to marry in Maryland will rise to 17 under a bill that was signed into law on Thursday after a long battle to get the measure passed in the General Assembly.
Del. Vanessa E. Atterbeary (D-Howard) began her quest seven years ago, her freshman year in the legislature, to prohibit children as young as 15 from getting married in Maryland.
“It’s really ridiculous,” she said of the amount of time it took to pass what she viewed as a common-sense measure and about how Maryland over time had become a destination for out-of-state child weddings.
Atterbeary said she was unaware of the issue until a colleague’s daughter, who read about laws in New York and New Jersey, brought it to her attention. She learned that there were 3,500 child weddings performed over 10 years in Maryland and began hearing about the ordeals some survivors faced. Atterbeary said she was shocked when she repeatedly ran into resistance from colleagues who “saw nothing wrong with 16- and 17-year-olds marrying” and from women’s rights groups who worried that regulating marriage would lead to regulating choice.
Maryland poised to become second state in U.S. to ban declawing cats
Over the years, she felt deflated but increasingly determined.
Under the bill, a 17-year-old will only be able to marry if he or she has consent from each living parent, guardian or legal custodian or files a petition with the court that includes evidence that the minor is self-sufficient and participates in an evidentiary hearing to, in part, determine whether the minor is marrying voluntarily.
The added court requirement will probably mean that no one will marry without consent before age 18.
The marriage bill was one of more than 100 signed by Gov. Larry Hogan (R), Senate President Pro Tem Melony G. Griffith (D-Prince George’s) and House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore County).
Among the others was a measure that prohibits veterinarians from declawing cats, a bill that makes it a hate crime to place a false 911 call based on race, gender or religion, and legislation designed to provide greater transparency in sentences handed down by judges.
The ban on declawing cats was one of several animal rights bills signed into law. Four years ago, activists lobbied for Maryland to become the second state in the country to prohibit retail stores from selling puppies and kittens.
This year, they notched additional victories with the passage of bills to protect unattended dogs in extreme weather and to prohibit the sale of elephant ivory and other wildlife parts. One bill signed Thursday allows animal rescue groups to recoup the cost of caring for animals subject to neglect or abuse. Another creates a civil fine for leaving animals outdoors in harsh conditions for more than 30 minutes without proper food or shelter. Read more at The Washington Post.
