Lawmakers want to “delay, but not deny” the ability of those under 18 to wed, state Rep. Lori Berman said at a Wednesday press conference.

Proponents of bills moving in the Legislature for the 2018 Session to outlaw child marriage gathered for a midday news conference in the Capitol’s 4th floor rotunda.

“We are saying that children should … wait till they are 18,” Berman, a Lantana Democrat, told reporters. “If you are 16 or 17 and you’re in love, and you’re going to wind up with this person for the rest of your life, there’s not a problem with having to wait a year or two to get married.”

Florida does not now allow marriages under the age of 16, but provides for a county judge to use discretion in authorizing marriages to pregnant women of any age.

Child marriage ban about ‘delaying, not denying’ weddings – Florida Politics