How Old Do You Have to Be to Get Married in CT?
I thought you had to be at least 18 to say "I Do" in our state. Never mind the fact that even that is still too young. Turns out I'm wrong.
This story brought things to light that I had no idea was occurring in Connecticut with teens. Frankly I'm flabbergasted.
According to middletownpress.com the Connecticut legislature is holding a public hearing on March 6 in regards to a bill that hopes to raise the legal age to get married in the state to 18. Did you know, because I sure didn't, that anyone over the age of 16 in Connecticut can get married with consent of their parents. While that takes my breathe away, this next piece of information left me with my mouth hanging open.
Kids under 16 can actually marry with the approval from a probate court judge under Connecticut law. WTF
My god, are we still in the dark ages in our state? One couple is working to make a change. Dr. Matthew Blondin and Audrey Blondin, developed HB 5442, a proposal Raising the Legal Age To Marry To Eighteen, and to prevent forced marriages and prohibit marriage before age 18. You can read House Bill 5442 on the ct.gov website.
Dr. Matthew Blondin told the Middletown Press
In the last 4 years, 159 girls and 28 boys between 14 and 17 were married...It struck me as ironic that we’re such protectors of children, or we’re supposed to be, and we do all this work internationally, but right here, this is happening
The hearing is being held before the legislature's Judiciary Committee today.
Certainly a lot of good points can be made for teenagers acting like adults.I can't think of one that would make getting married this early a good thing.
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