You are not imagining it. We are definitely kicking butt in 2025 as we push toward our shared goal of ending child marriage in the U.S. Here is a mid-year recap:
Let’s keep up the momentum. Together we can ban child marriage in every U.S. state. Donate now.
You know it’s good news when you see Kermit dancing: Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe just signed the legislation we have been pushing relentlessly, to ban child marriage!
This means we have achieved historic legislative victories in ONE THIRD of the U.S. Specifically, we are now 16 states, one district and two territories down in our national movement to set the marriage age at 18, no exceptions — and end a human rights abuse and nightmarish legal trap that destroys girls’ lives. What a victory for the more than 10.7 million girls who live in those areas.
Alongside our allies in the Missouri Coalition to End Child Marriage that we convened, as well as legislative champions like Reps. Renee Reuter, Melissa Schmidt and Holly Jones and Sens. Tracy McCreery, Rick Brattin and Holly Thompson Rehder, we met one-on-one with almost every member of Missouri legislature. We testified at legislative hearings and submitted memos of support, and we recruited our allies to do the same. We compiled in-depth legal research conducted on a pro bono basis by the law firms White & Case and DLA Piper. We launched email campaigns to target state legislators and the governor.
And it worked!
You made this victory possible, too, if you took action on our email campaigns, shared our posts on social media or supported us financially.
Missouri took an important first step in 2018 toward ending child marriage by raising the marriage age to 16, but that law didn’t go far enough: Some 88% of the minors who married in Missouri before the 2018 law change were aged 16 or 17, so the 2018 law change failed to protect 88% of those impacted by child marriage. Prior to 2018, the law allowed a parent to marry off a child of any age, with a requirement for judicial approval if the child were aged 14 or younger.
The new legislation closes the dangerous legal loopholes that allow parents to enter a 16- or 17-year-old into marriage without any input required from the teen, and without any real legal recourse for a teen who does not want to marry.
Our research found that 8,362 minors as young as 13 were entered into marriage in Missouri between 2000 and 2023 — and 77% of those were girls wed to adult men.
Furthermore, child marriage creates a nightmarish legal trap that destroys nearly every aspect of an American girl’s life. There’s a reason the U.S. State Department has called marriage before 18 a “human rights abuse.”
Missouri has now joined 15 other states (Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Rhode Island, New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut, Michigan, Washington, Virginia, New Hampshire, Maine and Oregon), two territories (American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands) and Washington, D.C. in embracing the simple, commonsense legislative solution we are pushing in all 50 U.S. states to ban child marriage, without exceptions. Such legislation harms no one, costs nothing and ends a human rights abuse.
That leaves only 34 states and three territories — and 26.6 million girls — to go. Let’s do this.
The Missouri Coalition to End Child Marriage includes:
Once again we are doing a wild victory dance: Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek just signed the bill we helped to write, introduce and promote to ban all marriage before age 18, no exceptions. !!!
Yes, this is our third legislative victory this year. And yes, we are now 15 states, one district and two territories down as we continue to lead the national movement to end a human rights abuse that destroys girls’ lives. What a victory for the more than 10.3 million girls who live in those states/district/territories.
Alongside our allies in the Oregon Coalition to End Child Marriage that we convened, as well as legislative champions like Sens. Janeen Sollman and David Brock Smith, we met one-on-one with almost every member of Oregon legislature. We testified at legislative hearings and submitted memos of support, and we recruited our allies to do the same. We compiled in-depth legal research conducted on a pro bono basis by the law firms White & Case and DLA Piper. We launched email campaigns to target state legislators and the governor.
And it worked!
You made this victory possible, too, if you took action on our email campaigns, shared our posts on social media or supported us financially.
Prior to passing this new legislation to ban child marriage, dangerous legal loopholes allowed a parent to enter a 17-year-old into marriage in Oregon with nothing more than “written consent,” without any input required from the child, and without any real legal recourse for a child who does not want to marry. And the marriage-age laws undermined sex-crime laws, becoming a “get out of jail free” card for would-be child rapists.
Our research found that some 3,604 minors were entered into marriage in Oregon between 2000 and 2021— and some 83% of those were girls wed to adult men. At least 1,272 and possibly as many as 1,814 marriages between 2000 and 2014 occurred with a spousal age difference that would have met the definition of a sex crime outside of marriage.
Furthermore, child marriage creates a nightmarish legal trap that destroys nearly every aspect of an American girl’s life. There’s a reason the U.S. State Department has called marriage before 18 a “human rights abuse.”
Oregon has now joined 14 states (Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Rhode Island, New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut, Michigan, Washington, Virginia, New Hampshire and Maine), two territories (American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands) and Washington, D.C. in embracing the simple, commonsense legislative solution we are pushing in all 50 U.S. states to ban child marriage, without exceptions. Such legislation harms no one, costs nothing and ends a human rights abuse.
Only 35 states and three territories — and 27 million girls — to go. And we are still waiting for Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe to sign the bill we convinced the Missouri legislature to pass. Child marriage does not stand a chance.
The Oregon Coalition to End Child Marriage includes:
The Oregon House of Representatives just passed the bill we’ve been promoting to set the marriage age at 18, no exceptions!
So all we need now is Gov. Tina Kotek’s approval. Please take a minute now to urge Gov. Kotek to sign this simple, commonsense legislation to ban child marriage, a human rights abuse that destroys girls’ lives.
Remember how we banned child marriage in New Hampshire last year, but Rep. Margaret Drye was pushing legislation to BRING BACK this human rights abuse that destroys girls’ lives? Well, we have some good news: The New Hampshire senate killed the bill — a victory for girls in the Granite State!
But we’re not done sending Rep. Drye a message. Donate now in her “honor” to show her girls matter. We’ll let Rep. Drye know how much we raised from people like you who say HELL TO THE NO to bringing back child marriage.
In other good news, the Texas House of Representatives passed a bill to set the marriage age at 18, no exceptions, which we’ve been urging them to do for years. This is the farthest a bill to ban child marriage has ever made it in Texas!
Remember how we banned child marriage in New Hampshire last year? Now Rep. Margaret Drye is pushing legislation to BRING BACK this human rights abuse that destroys girls’ lives.
WTF?
Donate now in “honor” of Rep. Drye to send her a powerful message: HELL TO THE NO! We’ll let Rep. Drye know how much we raised from people who recognize that girls matter — and we can include a specific message from you, if you want.
Just when you thought nothing good happens anymore: The bill we and our allies have championed for more than six years, to ban child marriage, has officially passed into law. !!!
It passed without a gubernatorial signature. Disappointingly, Gov. Janet Mills chose not to sign this important bill to ban a human rights abuse that destroys girls’ lives.
In our battle against this human rights abuse, we are now 14 states, one district and two territories down — including the entire northeastern United States, down to Maryland (we’re coming for you, MD!). What an extraordinary victory for the more than 9.6 million girls who live in those areas.
But we need to your help as we continue fighting: Some New Hampshire legislators are trying to bring back child marriage (WTF?). Please take 60 seconds right now to email New Hampshire legislators and urge them not to return to the Dark Ages.
Maine took an important first step in 2020 toward ending child marriage by raising the marriage age to 16, then another important step in 2023 by raising it to 17, but neither law went far enough: Some 79% of the minors who married in Maine before the 2023 law change were aged 17 (and 100% of the minors who married in Maine before the 2020 law change were age 16 or 17), so the 2023 law protected only 21% of those impacted by child marriage. Prior to 2020, the law allowed a parent to marry off a child of any age.
The new legislation closes the dangerous legal loopholes that allow parents or a judge to enter a 17-year-old into marriage without any input required from the teen, and without any real legal recourse for a teen who does not want to marry.
Our research found that some 1,174 minors were wed in Maine between 2000 and 2023 — and some 77% were girls wed to adult men an average of 3.7 years older.
Furthermore, child marriage creates a nightmarish legal trap that destroys nearly every aspect of an American girl’s life. There’s a reason the U.S. State Department has called marriage before 18 a “human rights abuse.”
Maine has now joined Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Rhode Island, New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut, Michigan, Washington, Virginia and New Hampshire in embracing the simple, commonsense legislative solution we are pushing in all 50 U.S. states: Set the marriage age at 18, without exceptions. Such legislation harms no one, costs nothing and ends a human rights abuse.
We still have 36 states to go. We promise to keep advocating for the 27 million girls who live in those states, if you promise to keep partnering with us. Please donate now.
Missouri is only one signature away from banning child marriage!
The Missouri state senate just passed the legislation we have been tirelessly promoting, to set the marriage age at 18, no exceptions. (Sen. Mike Moon, a vocal proponent of middle-school marriage, was the only “no” vote.)
The bill now goes to Gov. Mike Kehoe’s desk. Please take a minute now to urge Gov. Kehoe to sign the bill and ban a human rights abuse that destroys girls’ lives.
And while you’re at it, please also ask Maine Gov. Janet Mills to do the same for the bill that passed last week in her state.
More (rare) good news for girls: The Missouri House of Representatives yesterday passed the legislation we have been promoting, to set the marriage age at 18, no exceptions!
Now the senate needs to vote again — even though it previously approved banning child marriage with only one “no” vote (from Sen. Mike Moon, who loves him some child marriage) — because the version the house passed was part of a new omnibus child-protection bill.
Missouri is now closer than it has ever been to banning a human rights abuse that destroys girls lives.
Maine is just one signature away from becoming the 14th U.S. state to ban child marriage!
The state senate just passed the bill we have been promoting for years, to make the marriage age 18, no exceptions — and it now heads to Gov. Janet Mills’ desk for her approval.
Please take a minute right now to urge Gov. Mills to sign the bill and make all of New England a child-marriage-free zone.
