What pandemic?

The Minnesota senate just UNANIMOUSLY approved SF1393/HF745, sponsored by Sen. Sandy Pappas and Rep. Kaohly Her, to end all marriage before 18. The house previously approved the bill, also unanimously, and now needs only to update the enactment date. Then the bill heads Gov. Tim Walz’s desk — and he has promised to sign it.

You will recall that the bill to end child marriage in Pennsylvania passed unanimously out of both legislative houses last week and is now awaiting the governor’s signature there. All during a global pandemic.

Under current Minnesota law, children age 16 and 17 can marry with parental “consent” (which is often parental coercion) and judicial approval (which can easily be rubber-stamped). As of 2014, an estimated 1,142 children age 15 to 17 living in Minnesota had already been married. However, children can easily be forced to marry or forced to stay in a marriage before their 18th birthday, because they have limited legal rights. Also, child marriage is a human rights abuse that destroys girls’ lives.

That’s why we lead a national movement to end child marriage in every U.S. state, territory and district — and no pandemic can stop us.