Child Marriage in the U.S.: How Far We’ve Come
Updated: 5 days ago
Article originally published in Substack on June 06, 2026
For those of you who are following my advocacy journey, here is a status update.
In 2018 ALL 50 States allowed child marriage.
Not just in far‑off places, not just in fringe communities, here, in our states, under our laws. Children can still be married off, usually girls to adult men, under the banner of “parental consent,” “religious freedom,” or “family honor.”
I know what that looks like from the inside.
At 13, after I was raped and left on the side of the road, my parents decided the “solution” was to marry me off. Five months later, I was a child bride, handed over to a man twice my age.
Where We Are Now
When I first started paying attention to child marriage laws in the U.S., I didn’t think I’d be alive to see us ban this disgusting human rights abuse in our country. Almost every state allowed it under some exception; pregnancy, parental consent, judicial approval, “cultural” or religious reasons. Children as young as 10, 11, 12 were being legally married.
Thanks to relentless work by survivors, advocates, and organizations like Tahirih Justice Center, Unchained At Last and the National Coalition to End Child Marriage, the map is changing.
17 states, two territories, and D.C. have now banned child marriage with no exceptions.
Eighteen means eighteen. Period.
Other states have tightened their laws, raising minimum ages and closing some loopholes, but many still leave doors open.
These bans did not happen by accident. They happened because survivors like Sherry Johnson (forced to marry her rapist at 11 in Florida), Donna Pollard (married at 16 to a 29‑year‑old counselor in Kentucky), and so many others kept telling their stories until lawmakers had to listen.
Every state that passes a ban is a victory. But it is not enough until all children in this country are protected. How dare we point our fingers at Iraq and their heinous violations against women and children when we, in our own backyard do the same. Did you know California has a ZERO minimum age?!
Ohio is one of the states that still allows child marriage.
Under current Ohio law, a 17‑year‑old can marry with certain approvals. That may sound reasonable to some at first glance. It is not.
- A minor cannot easily leave home, enter a domestic violence shelter, hire a lawyer, or file for divorce on their own, even if they are technically emancipated by the marriage license.
- Marriage does not magically allow for adult rights and resources,but it does create adult‑level obligations.
- Child marriage is a known driver of domestic and sexual violence, poverty, and lost education.
- Up to 80% of marriages involving someone under 18 end in divorce, adding further instability and hardship.
In real life, what this often means is that a girl who is already in danger is transferred from her parents’ control straight into the control of an adult husband, with fewer protections and even less ability to escape. For the girl, it is just a transfer of ownership.
That is not protection. That is child endangerment wrapped in a marriage license. It is nothing more than state sanctioned statutory rape.
This is why I am traveling to Ohio for a “chain‑in” protest in support of SB 341, a bill to ban child marriage and make 18 the minimum age to marry, no exceptions.
We will stand in symbolic chains outside the Statehouse to represent what child marriage really is: a legal chain around a child’s neck.
This Is Personal—and It’s Bigger Than Me
My story is one example of a pattern.
- I was raped at 13, then married off to “fix” the shame.
- I was treated as property, not a person.
- When my husband was finished with me, I was discarded and became homeless, with no education and no way to support myself.
My story is echoed in girls across the U.S.:
- The girl who’s pregnant, and her parents think marrying the father will “make it right.”
- The girl in a strict religious home told that marriage is her only holy path.
- The girl whose abuser is given access to her for life, signed off by a judge.
Child marriage is not a cultural quirk. It is not a cute “young love” story. It is a human rights abuse. Our own U.S. State Department calls marriage under 18 a human rights violation when it happens in other countries. It is past time we apply that standard at home.
- Marriage delayed is not marriage denied.
If two people truly love each other, their relationship can survive until both are 18.
- Delaying marriage actually sets couples up for healthier, more stable relationships—with better education, more economic security, and clearer consent.
What I’m Asking From You
As I head to Ohio to add my loud voice in support of saving our children, I am carrying more than my own 13‑year‑old self with me. I am carrying every child who:
- Is being pressured into an engagement right now.
- Is being told marriage will fix rape, pregnancy, or “dishonor.”
- Is being handed to an adult because their parents, pastor, or community see no other way.
Here’s how you can help:
If you’re in Ohio:
- Contact your state senator and express support for SB 341.
- Share survivor stories, not just statistics.
Anywhere else:
- Look up your state’s child marriage laws.
- Support groups like Tahirih Justice Center, Unchained At Last and the National Coalition to End Child Marriage.
Share this information. Most people still don’t know child marriage is STILL legal here.
Our children are the most precious beings among us. The ones whose bodies can create life should never be sacrificed to protect the pride, reputation, or religious rules of adults.
Eighteen must mean eighteen.
No exceptions.
Not for my daughter.
Not for anyone’s.
And until that is true in every state, I will keep telling my story, and I will keep showing up, chains and all.Please find more information on the following sites:
Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of the survivor advocates in this mission. Special thanks to Brigitte, who fought valiantly to pass the child marriage ban in Oklahoma last month; to Donna Pollard, whose endless efforts are making a real impact in Kentucky; to Vanessa Wilde, who has given me a platform on our podcast “Blooped” to speak about the many issues women are facing in these brutal times living with a pedophile rapist in our highest office; and, of course, to Cole, who gives me the strength to keep going when it feels like the world is against us.
