Child brides?!
That is what Kansas is trying to stop after a pregnant 14-year-old from Nebraska drove to Kansas last year to marry her 22-year-old boyfriend. Although the boy is now serving time for having sex with a minor, this prompted Kansas officials to decide it was time to set a minimum marriage age.
On Thursday, the Kansas House voted 119-0 to approve a bill that would prohibit anyone under the age of 15 from marrying in Kansas. It would set strict limits for would-be brides or grooms under the age of 18. I'm not really sure why they made it 15. What 15 year old gets married? I don't care how in love you are, there's no reason why you can't wait until you are 18. Even if you are pregnant, you can still have your baby and then get married. There is nothing wrong with that these days, tons of people are switching it up.
Those who are 16 or 17 could marry if they met one of three conditions: permission from a parent/legal guardian and judicial consent; permission from both parents; or permission from judge if the parents are dead/there is no legal guardian.
Last month, a Georgia governor set 16 as that state’s minimum marriage age after a 37-year-old woman married a 15-year-old boy. Lisa Lynnette Clark pleaded guilty in March to statutory rape and was sentenced to nine months in prison.
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That is utterly revolting. It's funny how Kansas didn't have a law before though. Then only to have one up to 15. Really raising the bar there. Did this kind of sexual activity of 13, 14, and 15 year-olds happen 30-40 years ago? It would be an interesting statistic.
Well I just read that only 20% of all statistics are made up on the spot. Including yours and mine. Good one Matt.
Do you realize that this will stigmatize a family for life. The kid will be raised on taxpayers dime because hes in prison. it is not right either way. I think he shouldnt have to register. It is his wife now so that is the reason.
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That is sick and wrong. Plus, I had to wait until 18 to vote. 18 to smoke, and now until 21 to drink alcohol, and to gamble. Don't they see that marriage is bigger than all of that? Marriage is a free "sleep with minor/rape card" What does a 15 year old know about anything?
"What does a 15 year old know about anything?"
Ask a 15 year old and they will tell you they know most things.....
~~~~Ideas and ten cents change in a poor economy can buy you the world.
and I don't by any means think i know everything. I do think that people of every age prior to 18 or 20 know a lot more than their elders think of them as knowing. My brother's seven, and he is quite smart as are his peers, we just tend to think of then as on the same intelligence lever as 3-yr-olds. But I digress.
there is a thing called love and if ur in love then why not show it! people love eachother and they should be able to get married, and if they are pregnant why is that so wrong?!
Because has nothing to do with sex or marriage.
What a wonderful concept! Grow up! Someone who is 15yo can not even get a job at McDonalds. Guess what, that leaves the hard working tax payers, like myself, paying the price for LOVE. need an example "FOOD STAMPS, MEDICAIDE, WALFARE, PREMATURE BIRTHS (because teenagers run a high risk), NO CREDIT, BAD CREDIT, GOVERNMENT HOUSING, just to name a few........................
Well technically, reproductive rights are there no matter the age. Example: A 14-year-old having an abortion without parental or judicial consent because although she is not old enough to be having sex in the eyes of the law, did, and must me mature enough to understand the consequences of her actions. Albeit that sounds crazy, thats what the person who made the bill was probably arguing.
I agree that the age should not be 15 since no other rights are given at that age, but people also have to remember the fact that the 14-year-old in this story had parental consent given by her mother. Any person could argue all day long that the mother might be incompetent because of her giving consent but in the end, that is her child and she did what she felt was best for her child and grandchild.
I don't really see a problem. My grandpa got married when he was thirteen. His wife (my grandma) was twelve. Different culture, different taste.
You are right 15 you are not mature enough even though if you are expecting I remenber that I want it to get married at the age and i had a kid what a big mistake i had made if i did got married back then.
Gaby
In the past, many people married young, but did not have any sexual activity until younger side is ready, and it was usually female. And it happen to people who already got permission from their parents.
So, it wasn't that much of a deal back than. But now, it is more like only for sexual activity and I think it is a crime against all people. I think if possible, Congress should pass a federal law about age of legal marrage, and having sexual activity under certain age is crime. And that age should be 16 for having sexual contact, and marrage for 18. No comment on why those age, but thats how I feel about this problem
I think 15 is a fine age provided there is parental consent. Where I live a 15 year old can drive (with restrictions), leave school and get a fulltime job all adult responsibilites. However I do agree that 18 would be better as this ia the age of majority. Here you have to be 18 to get married unless there are exceptional circumstances.
This is a really hazy subject. I'd say that 16 is a better age than 15, but that's still rather iffy. It would depend on the maturity of the individual; some 13 year olds are more mature than many 20 year olds, but that would be too difficult to do case by case basis, wouldn't it.
However, I would never support adult/minor relationships, unless there is less than a year's difference in age. My boyfriend is nearly 5 years older, but I was 19 when we began dating. If we had met earlier, we would have waited until I was of age to date him. If you are truly in love, you could live with waiting.
Ho Humm......who cares? Wasn't that long ago that young ladies were considered "old maids" if they hadn't married by 13. Just once I wish there was a politician who had the guts to just say, "It's not a governmental concern." Just keep embarrassing them into making more stupid laws, people.......pretty soon you won't have to make any decisions anymore. Why? Because you won't be able to.
I was 15 when I got married because I was pregnant. It was the biggest mistake of my life. I don't think that 15 year olds are capable of making decisions like that. Thinking they know everything proves that they don't. Being the parent of 4 teenagers now I know that sometimes parents need help. Haven't you ever heard that it takes a village to raise a child? That is so true. Parents can't do it alone.
There's a reason you can't vote until your 18, or smoke, or be tried as an adult in a court of law, or join the military. You can't even drink until your 21. Why should we allow children to get married when it is obviously an adult's right and privilege and we know children aren't mentally capable of handling other adult privileges? If they can get married can they be involved in the porn business? No!!!! at 15, 16 teenagers (no matter what they might think) are still very much children. A lot of brain development happens between 16 and 22. A LOT!!
~CallieV
Wow. It makes you wonder what kinds of things they'd talk about... what does a 22-year-old have in common with a 14-year-old?
Yeah I know, its very strange. It makes me think the 22 year old is not very attractive :)
Unattractive? Maybe. Intelligent? Definitely not.
While I agree that 14 is too young to be getting married, and too young to be in a relationship with someone that much older, there is no reason to believe that a 14 year old and a 22 year old couldn't find things to talk about. They could talk about political issues, sports, books, music, hobbies, tv shows, favorite vaction spots, places they want to visit, plans for the future, their families, what they liked when they were kids, and all the other random stuff people find to talk about. I'm not trying to say it's right for them to get married, but, right or wrong, they could have a lot in common.
...in canada...the age of consent for sex is 14...so i think if your old enough to consent to sex...then your old enough to consent to marriage
I think that is too young to get married or have sex.
I think 15 is to young. Thats the age or about so when teenagers start making stupid mistakes, some of which they regret all their lives. Boy's show off just for the sake of their friends. They might say they love you but do they really? and no I'm not just going to harp on the boys, it's almost the same with the girls. I think the marriage age should be 18 too.
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This is statuatory rape. If two fourteen year olds had gotten married, then that would be a different story. If this was "love," then the 22-year-old would have waited for the girl to grow up a little and be mature enough to make the decision to have sex with him. I highly doubt that the 14-year-old knew enough about the consequences of her "love" to make an informed decision. Now she'd going to have a child in high school before she turns 30.
Does Kansas have an age of consent law?
Ya know..this makes no sense-at all. It is sort of like the drinking age. -You cant drink until you are 21, but you can go and die for your country at 18, you can do almost everything at 18.
But take it down a step now.
Your not an adult until you are 18, but you can be married at the age of 15? Marriage is a very adult thing. And what kind of 15 year old could get a good enough job to be married? I mean..wow.
This isn't like back in the settler days. Marriage is for adults not for children. I actually believe there should be a law stating that you must be 23 in order to get married because by then you hopfully have your head out of your ass and have a sturdy foundation to start a marriage.
I think the mariage age should be 18, just like I think the drinking age should be 18, because that is the age you're considered an adult, can move away from your parents, and are responcible for your own decissions. While many people aren't responcible enough that they should be married until they're 23, some really are ready to get married before then, and many people are even older before they're ready. Maybe a better law would be to require at least a year of premarital counseling, so people of any age are prevented from jumping into a mariage without taking the time to be certain that's what they want.
Well maybe not the premarital counciling but maybe a 2 year requirement of dating before you get married. That is the way so you know that they have a stable relationship and whatever quirks they may have with each other should be fixed by that time. It also makes a sturdy foundation for a marriage.
Ok, I know I go on and on about 13, 14 year old marriages but thats only to others their age... 14 and 22 is sick and disgusting.
i♥jeremiah kent♥
Ewwww.........what was that 22 year old thinking!?
The marriage age should be 18. That's when you're considered an adult in this country. 15 is ridiculous. 15 year olds are still quite immature in my opinion, and therefore can't make such an important decision just yet. Heck, adults have a tough enough time with staying married.
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Mind Control is Easier Than You Think
It's not wrong. I know people who are engaged at 16 to a 22 year old. Someone else I know is 15 and has been dating a 22 year old for 3 years now. It's love. Just like homosexuals. There's nothing wrong with it.
She's 15 and she's been dating a 22 year old for three years?
That means that she was 12 when he was 19. That makes me want to vomit.
I'm all for age being nothing but a number, but there's a point where you have to draw the line. "It's love" at 12 years old, and in most cases 15 years old, is extremely hard to believe.
The age gap doesn't matter. It's the fact that an adult was dating a baby (12 year old) that's a big deal.
And it's not anything like homosexuals.... but that's mostly because homosexuals are two consenting adults (usually) who've made a life decision. A 12 year old can't [usually] make life decisions.
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Procrastination isn't the problem, it's the solution. So procrastinate now, don't put it off. [Ellen Degeneres]
So, when a young adult dates an old man, it's okay, but for younger people to do that... it's not? How would you know what a 12 year old can or can't feel? They've stayed together for quite some time right now, and she IS in fact getting older which means that it wasn't just some random thing she decided to do when she was 12. She's not 12 anymore. It just all depends on how you were brought up. That's what decides how you view certain issues. It's not like they're out there having sex all day. That would be illegal... Why judge her? Why throw up at it? Yeah, it actually is kind of like homosexuality. Homosexuals love each other. They love each other. Homosexuals are viewed by some people as disgusting and downright wrong. Same thing you're saying about them. Homosexuals can also be young and old... The situation they're in is basically the same.
Maybe it's wrong of me to see 12 year olds as babies....
nope, it's not wrong. Twelve? When you're 19, look at a twelve year old. Any twelve year old. See if you can relate on any level with them other than a giggle here or there.
I'm not trying to judge her. But it's really difficult to imagine a 19 year old man having an intimate relationship with a 12 year old. Even a fifteen year old.
How old are you?
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Procrastination isn't the problem, it's the solution. So procrastinate now, don't put it off. [Ellen Degeneres]
Haha, I think 5 years isn't that much if you think about it ... You see really old guys with these young lil things all the time and that's NOT just a couple years ... It's like 20-30 years apart. why are they okay?
Me? 16, don't judge ...
But those "Really old guys" are with consenting adults, even when they're years apart in age.
Like I said, age is nothing but a number. My boyfriend and I are 3 1/2 years apart. But I wasn't dating him when I was twelve and he was sixteen.
I'm not judging you on your age... but I think when you're a little older, eighteen maybe, nineteen, you'll look at a twelve year old and see them as a child.
I wouldn't even trust most 12 year olds baby sitting to be perfectly honest.
Yes, individuals are different... but your friend is going to be making a lot of changes between 12-15-19-25 that her boyfriend will have already gone through. People change. It's even been a struggle with me being a 19 year old with a 22 year old. We're at different stages of life. But at least we're both somewhat adults....
In three years, tell me if a twelve year old... ANY twelve year old... is anywhere near the same development, education, views on life... that you are.
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Procrastination isn't the problem, it's the solution. So procrastinate now, don't put it off. [Ellen Degeneres]