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In a move to protect young Oregonians, the Oregon Senate passed Senate Bill 548, raising the minimum marriage age to 18.
Oregon Senate Increases Marriage Age To 18
Sponsored by Rep. Kevin Mannix (OR-21), State Sen. David Brock Smith (OR-1), and Sen. Janeen Sollman (R-15), Senate Bill 548, a bipartisan effort, passed with a constitutional majority and is a significant step towards aligning Oregon’s marriage laws with international human rights standards.
The lawmakers are seeking to address the effects of child marriage on minors. Between 2000 and 2021, an estimated 3,600 minors were married in Oregon, which currently allows 17-year-olds to marry despite being unable to vote or purchase tobacco products. Oregonian 17-year-olds previously only needed the approval of one parent or guardian to get married and did not need judicial approval.
The bill’s supporters emphasized the links between forced child marriages and human trafficking.
Oregon law provides that minors are unable to consent to sex until they turn 18. According to the United Nations Population Fund, underage marriage is a human rights violation, and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals call for ending child marriage by 2030.
The United States is the only UN member state that has not ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). A study showed that 83% of underage marriages involved girls marrying men about four years older.
Child marriage is legal in 37 states. Several states have laws banning minors from getting married, but Oregon is one of 10 that give 17-year-olds an option.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services indicated that young brides are more likely to face poverty, domestic violence, and limited educational and career opportunities.
Some senators expressed concerns about unintended consequences. Sen. Robinson suggested the law make provision that two minors planning to get married have to be interviewed by a judge to ensure they want to get married, and was one of the senators who voted against the bill in its current form.
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