Michigan marriage laws allow for child marriage; lawmakers want to change that
LANSING, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - Children in Michigan can get married because of two loopholes in current law.
Michigan policymakers and advocates have attempted multiple times to close loopholes that permit underage marriage. They hope this time they'll be successful.
"So, first loophole, one parent can enter a 16 or a 17-year-old into marriage with nothing more than a signature on a marriage license application," said Fraidy Reiss, founder and executive director of Unchained at Last, which advocates for the abolishment of child marriage in the US.
We have worked with girls who showed up sobbing openly at the clerk's office, begging for help. Nothing they or the clerk could do to stop that marriage. The parent signs the form. That kid is getting married."
A second loophole allows children younger than 16 to get married with permission from a judge.
"There are no criteria that a judge is required to consider when deciding whether to approve a child marriage petition that a parent has submitted, and the judge is not even required to interview that child," Reiss said.
According to Unchained at Last, those loopholes allowed more than 5,000 children to be married in Michigan between 2000 and 2021.
Efforts have been made to change that.
In 2018, then-State Rep. Sarah Anthony introduced legislation to void marriages between couples under 18. But that legislation didn't make it very far.
"It's heartbreaking when I talk to survivors, when I talk to now grown women who were basically signed away," Anthony said. "To hear those heartbreaking stories and then despite my legislative action not being able to see this finally be banned in the state of Michigan, it has been deflating. But I'm just encouraged it's finally getting a hearing. It's finally getting action in the legislature, and this is something that we should have ended a long time ago.
State Rep. Gina Johnsen says she will vote for the bill, but she would like to see it do more to tackle the roots of abuse and trafficking as well.
Advocates and lawmakers expect a second hearing on the bill later this week.
