Child Brides (& Grooms): Bad & Good

This NYT opinion piece is an excellent expose of the range of terrible injustice, poor parenting, sad choices, and lifelong consequences of allowing, supporting, and even sometimes encouraging marriage between very young girls and older men. I don’t want to take anything away from the outrage of a 14 year old pregnant girl being forced to marry her 27 year old rapist. However, simplistic solutions like strictly disallowing marriage before 18, without also providing other actually available relief to save children, are not necessarily a net positive direction.

At 17, and even 16, I think it can be OK for certain people in certain circumstances (within 2–3 years of age etc.) to marry. Otherwise, it is quite likely a bad idea. Without bad circumstances (poverty, poor parents, etc.), I would strongly recommend that people wait until 25 or even 30 to marry, except for pregnancy or much better benefits & ability to be together (such as being in the military). But often enough, having the freedom & benefits of being with someone who loves you instead of some hostile & unhealthy environment is worth dealing with your immaturity.

On the right at 15, going for a training run with a good friend (left).

Having left home at 15 in Ohio, and marrying, at 17, my pregnant (on purpose by her) girlfriend, 18, I understood that when I was married, that was automatic emancipation. That should have meant that I was legally an adult. If states don’t…