Roy Cooper (D), who will sign it even though he preferred a bill banning marriage under age 18. North Carolina currently allows children to marry at age 14 with a judge’s permission if they are pregnant or have had a child. The rest—some 44 states—allow marriage to minors in at least some circumstances, according to Unchained at Last, an anti-child-marriage advocacy group. That has turned some states, notably Missouri, into magnets for people seeking to marry a child, according to the think tank Child USA. Further ReadingNorth Carolina Lawmakers Vote to Raise Legal Age of Marriage to 16 (Wall Street Journal)Bill banning teen marriages under 16 clears NC legislature (Charlotte Observer)

Source: Forbes August 18, 2021 01:07 UTC