Dressed in bridal gowns and chains, we descended on the Pennsylvania statehouse Wednesday, chanting, singing and marching through the building to protest forced and child marriage.
As usual, our Chain-In drew the attention of passersby and the news media, including PennLive, PAHomepage/Eyewitness News and ABC.
Speakers included:
- Rep. Jesse Topper, Primary sponsor, HB360
- Rep. Perry Warren, Co-prime sponsor, HB360
- Sen. John Sabatina, Primary sponsor, SB81
- Sen. Judith Schwank, Co-prime sponsor, SB81
- Sen. Wayne Langerholc, Co-prime sponsor, SB81
- Amanda Parker, AHA Foundation
- Donna Greco, Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape
- Elaine Weinert, President, Zonta of Harrisburg-Hershey
- Fraidy Reiss, Unchained At Last
Our message to legislators and the governor was clear: It’s time to pass HB360/SB81 and make Pennsylvania the third U.S. state – after Delaware and New Jersey – to end child marriage.
We at Unchained At Last lead a growing national movement to end child marriage in the United States by eliminating the legal loopholes in all 50 states and at the federal level that allow, and even encourage, child marriage. Seventeen states, including Massachusetts, do not specify any minimum age for marriage.
Read more here about Chain-Ins, the powerful form of peaceful protest that we invented to raise awareness of forced and child marriage in the United States.