Angela Paoli: Let’s not be a destination state for child marriage – VT Digger

Angela Paoli: Let’s not be a destination state for child marriage

“Child marriage… in Vermont? Really?” I bet that’s what most Vermonters would say upon learning that Vermont still allows 16- and 17-year-olds to get married. But it’s true.

And something should be done about it. Fortunately, the Vermont legislators received that message and they are working on a bill — H.148 — to raise the age of marriage to 18. It’s time to get it passed.

The United Nations and the U.S. State Department state child marriage is an abuse of human rights. This issue is about rights, not about maturity —  it’s about legal rights and responsibilities that individuals obtain when they turn 18. Vermont does not allow children to enter into legal contracts, but we have a loophole in our law that allows parents to give consent to their 16- and 17-year-old children to marry.

Read more here.