Advocates warn Connecticut could become a haven for child marriage as other states raise legal age to 18 – CT Insider
Advocates warn Connecticut could become a haven for child marriage as other states raise legal age to 18
HARTFORD — Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz on Monday threw her support behind an effort to raise Connecticut’s minimum marriage age to 18, warning lawmakers that the state risked becoming a haven for adults seeking to force teenage women into abusive marriages.
While Connecticut is one of 43 states that allows minors under the age of 18 to be married with the permission of parents or a judge, it is surrounded by states — New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Massachusetts — that have banned those exemptions.
During a press conference on Monday, Bysiewicz noted that while the law allows people as young as 16 to be married, it at the same time bars them from contracting with an attorney to initiate divorce proceedings, or access personal and health records on their own, without the permission of a parent or spouse.