What is with Republicans and child marriage (or human-animal sexual relations if you saw what happened in Lousiana)? So Representative Kim Williams is sponsoring a bill (HB337) that would ban underage marriage in Delaware. Currently, Delaware allows child marriage if a Judge of the Family Court sitting in the county where the minor applicant resides signs an order allowing the applicant to marry after a parent or legal guardian petitions the Court for an order allowing said applicant to marry. Williams’ bill would end that practice and put in place a firm rule: You want to get married? Become an adult first.
The bill was heard in the House Health & Human Development Committee yesterday, and after 30 minutes of debate and discussion, it was released with only one dissenter.
Rep. Miro said he supports part of the measure but feels the bill is too broad and could potentially prevent an individual entering the military from marrying their sweetheart or lead to more teenagers getting abortions. “I cannot support banning marriage, period,” he said.
I will have to check, but did Joe Miro support same sex marriage? Or did he want to ban it? And if he cannot abide banning marriage, then I assume he supports a wide array of bills legalizing marriage of 13 year olds and brothers and sisters. Mr. Miro, of course you support banning marriage in some instances. We all do. And your notion that one cannot remain pregnant if they are unmarried is, shall we say, quaint and so 19th Century. We live in the 21st.
HB337 – Banning Child Marriage
STATUS – On House Ready List
HISTORY – Released from House Health & Human Development Committee on 4.18.18
SPONSORS: K.Williams, Delcollo, Townsend, Hudson
YES VOTES:
NO VOTES:
ABSENT:
NOT VOTING:
Let’s break this down.
Rep. Miro said he supports part of the measure but feels the bill is too broad and could potentially prevent an individual entering the military from marrying their sweetheart or lead to more teenagers getting abortions. “I cannot support banning marriage, period,” he said.
Marriage as a crisis situation.
Have to marry because your sweetheart is entering the military? My daughter’s boyfriend is in the military. He’s been in for two years. He’s flying to Philly this weekend to visit her, and they’ve managed to see each other two other times since September. So, in the military example, everyone can wait until they’re 18. There is no reason to rush into marriage due to age. In fact, marrying in haste has always been a recipe for disaster.
Have to marry because if they don’t that will lead to more teenagers getting abortions? 100% nonsense. Being married doesn’t prevent abortions. In fact, most women who have abortions already have children. The idea that a couple would decide to have an abortion because they couldn’t marry removes every bit of emotion from the relationship. “I love you so much and I’m pregnant with our child, but if we can’t marry then I’m having an abortion,” she never said. “I love you so much, too. I want to spend the rest of my life with you and our child, but since we can’t marry, you’ll need to abort,” he never said.
This is about shaming. And his use of the word “sweetheart” tells me his age and mindset.
This is also a way of beating a statutory rape charge.
(2) intentionally engages in sexual intercourse with another person, and the victim has not yet reached his or her eighteenth birthday, and the person is thirty years of age or older, except that such intercourse shall not be unlawful if the victim and person are married at the time of such intercourse;
So… a person over 30 can have sex with someone under 18 as long as they’re married (or hurry up and get married!). There have been a lot of articles lately about young girls being married to grown men so the men won’t be prosecuted. That’s why this law exists.
Republicans across the country seem to love child brides. Kentucky Republicans argued that parents have the right to marry their children off. In Missouri, (a state becoming known for sex trafficking due to it’s ridiculously lax child marriage rules) 50 House members voted no on a bill that would bar marriage for state residents fourteen or younger. 14 or younger, and they were a-okay with that. Roy Moore isn’t an outlier in his party.
Well said Pandora!
Thanks! The arguments for child marriage are disgusting. Miro should be ashamed.
Miro… One less legislative dinosaur to have to listen come January 2019! Huzzah!
Republicans across the country seem to love child brides. Kentucky Republicans argued that parents have the right to marry their children off. In Missouri, (a state becoming known for sex trafficking due to it’s ridiculously lax child marriage rules) 50 House members voted no on a bill that would bar marriage for state residents fourteen or younger. 14 or younger, and they were a-okay with that. Roy Moore isn’t an outlier in his party.
A right for parents to marry off their children. If these were Muslim parents fighting for this, you know what the GOP would call this, right?
Cassandra for the win!
The bill passed the House with 23 yes, all Democrats. 11 voted no, 6 were “not voting”, and 1 absent (Schwartzkopf). Gerald Brady was the sole Democrat who was “not voting”. It was a very crazy debate on the House floor! Rep. Dukes wanted the Amish community to have a say in the vote even though a witness testified the Amish will NOT let their youth marry until they are 18. There was a ton of back and forth on what if scenarios among different Republicans.