JEFFERSON CITY — As she fought back tears and spoke softly, three state lawmakers and three advocates — all women — gathered closer to Rebecca Hurst, some gently placing a hand on her back in a show of support.
Hurst was recounting the story of how, at age 16, her mother surreptitiously planned her marriage to a 22-year-old man to “save me from my damnation.”
“She did not feel I was on the correct spiritual path,” said Hurst.
That was more than 30 years ago in a small town in Pulaski County.
On Wednesday, Hurst stood before reporters, cameras and microphones in a side gallery off the Senate at the Missouri Capitol, advocating for state legislation that would change the legal marriage age to 18 with no exceptions.
“I’m here to advocate for those that have no one to stand up for them and no one to fight for them. Keep marriage between two consenting adults,” she told reporters.
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