Ban Child Marriage in Maryland — Set the Minimum Age at 18

Maryland needs a law setting 18 as the minimum age of marriage, with no exceptions. Right now, 33 states still allow minors as young as 15 to marry with parental consent, and three states have no minimum age at all. Maryland should not be among the states that leave children vulnerable to this. Introduce or co-sponsor legislation that closes every loophole — parental consent, judicial approval, pregnancy exceptions — all of it. Child marriage is not a cultural tradition worth preserving. It is a documented pathway to abuse, educational deprivation, and lifelong economic harm, disproportionately affecting girls. Survivors have testified that parental consent offers no protection when the family is the source of the pressure. A 15-year-old cannot meaningfully consent to marriage, and no judge's signature changes that reality. Only 17 states have fully banned child marriage. Maryland has the opportunity to be next. This is not a partisan issue — it is a basic child protection issue. Pass a clean bill with a hard floor of 18 and no exceptions.