5 Michigan GOP state lawmakers oppose child marriage ban

Five Michigan Republican state lawmakers on Wednesday voted against a child marriage ban.

Michigan in among 42 states in which child marriage is currently legal, of which 20 states don’t have a minimum age for marriage, The Detroit Free Press reports, citing data from the human rights group Equality Now.

Children who are 16 or 17 years of age can enter marriages with the written consent of a parent or guardian under current Michigan law. House Bill 4293 would ban such marriages.

The Michigan state House passed the measure resoundingly, but GOP Reps. Steve Carra, Neil Friske, Matt Maddock, Angela Rigas and Josh Schriver all voted against the measure, Heartland Signal reports on its Twitter feed.

So far this century, 5,400 children (under the age of 18) were married in Michigan, but the numbers have declined steadily in recent years, the report said, noting 468 girls married in Michigan in 2000 compared to just 32 in 2021.

Democratic Rep. Kara Hope, one of the bill’s sponsors, said, "It's hard to believe that this practice is still legal in Michigan in the year 2023," according to the report.

"Victims of child marriage have less stability in their financial situations, more unwanted pregnancies and worse health outcomes," it says.

A United Nations initiative aims to end child marriage by 2030.