A Republican lawmaker gained a lot of attention by arguing in support of child marriage, claiming that underage teens are at a 'ripe, fertile age.' A fellow LGBTQ+ colleague grew tired of being labeled a 'groomer' while Republicans defend child marriage.
The New Hampshire legislature is discussing a bill, S.B. 359, which aims to prohibit anyone under 18 from getting married. Previously, the state law permitted girls as young as 13 and boys as young as 14 to marry, and in 2018, the minimum ages were raised to 16.
The majority of opposition to the bill in the state house came from Republicans, and New Hampshire state Rep. Jess Edwards (R) presented the argument on the floor of the New Hampshire House of Representatives.
He stated, “If we continually limit the freedom of marriage as a valid social choice, when we do this to people who are at a ripe, fertile age and may be facing a pregnancy and a baby, are we not essentially making abortion a much more appealing alternative, when marriage might be the right solution for some freedom-loving couples?”
Online, he faced criticism for endorsing teen pregnancy and referring to underage teens – particularly girls – as 'ripe' and 'fertile.' In the U.S., minor girls are more likely to be married than minor boys, as per the Pew Research Center. Unchained At Last – an organization advocating to end child marriage – points out that most underage girls who are married are wed to adult men. The organization also highlights that these girls can be married to men but are still too young to access domestic violence shelters and obtain a divorce in many states.
Conservative backing for child marriage has drawn increased scrutiny as they began using slurs like “groomer” and making allegations of child sexual abuse against LGBTQ+ individuals, prompting one of Edwards's colleagues to reach a breaking point.
“I’m tired of being called a groomer when Republicans are the ones fantasizing about ‘fertile’ teenagers and demanding legal child marriage,” stated state Rep. Alissandra Murray (D), who is transgender and nonbinary.
Other Republicans also voiced their opinions against prohibiting child marriage, including state Rep. Margaret Drye (R), who mentioned knowing some individuals who married under the age of 16 due to an unplanned pregnancy. She commended the young parents for choosing marriage to provide “stability” for their baby.
State Rep. Tony Lekas (R), who is around 68 years old, mentioned that he married his wife and current colleague, state Rep. Alicia Lekas (R), when he was 16.
“And we didn’t need any outside input from anyone,” Lekas stated. “We’ve been married almost 53 years.”
Another Republican, state Rep. Josh Yokela, attempted to get changes to the bill approved to enable emancipated teens to marry.
“The reality is that emancipated minors cannot vote; they cannot buy or use tobacco or alcohol; they cannot purchase firearms,” state Rep. Pete Petrigno (D) countered. “Then why should we permit an age exception for marriage and nothing else?”
S.B. 359 was approved by the House with 192 to 174 votes. If Gov. Chris Sununu (R) signs it, New Hampshire will become the 12th state to prohibit child marriage without exceptions.
