USA · updated 1h ago · 2 min read
Governor Gavin Newsom Signs California Law Banning Child Marriage From January 1, 2027
California bans marriage under 18, effective January 1, 2027. Minimum age to marry now 18, repeal of parental consent exceptions.
Whether to foreground opposition concerns or legal harm.
7 of 9 outlets skipped it: the ban is extended to domestic partnership.
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Newsweek
“Earlier efforts faced opposition from groups including Planned Parenthood and the ACLU, which raised concerns about minors' reproductive autonomy and access to healthcare.”Read the original ↗
CalMatters
“Because the age of consent in California is 18, advocates say marriage between an adult and a child is a loophole that implicitly legalizes statutory rape.”Read the original ↗
Newsweek emphasises rights and opposition concerns, while CalMatters stresses statutory rape and legal loopholes.
California sets 18
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation that bans child marriage in the state by requiring people to be at least 18 to marry, with the measure taking effect on 1 January 2027. Newsom described the law as a “long overdue measure to protect young Californians and minors,” and he said, “Today, California kids are safer than ever before.” Courtney Stodden attended the signing after her parents allowed her to marry a 50-year-old Hollywood actor when she was 16, and Stodden called the change a “victory” for survivors.
“The governor of California, Gavin Newsom, has approved the ban on child marriage in the state, a measure that will take effect in January 2027.”
Assembly Bill 1267 repeals provisions that previously allowed minors to marry with parental consent and court approval, and it sets the minimum age to marry at 18 without exceptions. The law also removes the prior lack of a statutory minimum age in California, which meant children could marry with parental consent and approval from a judge.
Survivors and advocates react
Brittany Bee told the BBC that “California has sent a clear message to the world today,” and she said it was “a message of hope for all children that they may be free from systemic violence.” Bee said she was married at 17 to escape an abusive home, and she explained, “I was just going from one prison to another.” Courtney Stodden said the law “clearly tells survivors of child marriage that they should never be expected to bear this burden,” and she added, “What happened in California is a victory, but I will not stop here.”
Sara Tasneem told the BBC it felt “surreal” to see California recognize that child marriage should be prohibited, and Tasneem said, “I’m just grateful that kids cannot get married after January 1, 2027 in California.” Unchained At Last and the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls drove the reform, and the legislation’s stated goal was to abolish clauses that allowed minors to contract marriage or establish a relationship with an adult with parental consent.
What changes next
California’s ban makes the state the 18th US state to end child marriage since 2018, and it leaves the practice legal in more than 30 states in the United States. The law eliminates parental consent exceptions and sets the minimum age to marry at 18, and it also ends the previous ability for minors to marry with parental consent and judge approval. Newsweek reported that California had previously been one of only three states without a minimum age to wed, and it said the new law states that people must be 18 to get married in the Golden State.N
“The measure will take effect in January 2027, while these unions remain legal in more than 30 states in the United States.”
Unchained At Last estimated that about 9,000 girls were married each year in California, and the organization said almost all child marriages involved girls marrying adult men. The Times of India said the new California law will come into effect on January 1, 2027, after which people must be at least 18 to marry in the state.