Child Marriage Ban Package Clears Senate With Minimal Opposition

Ending child marriage in Michigan moved one step closer to being a reality Thursday following bipartisan votes in the Senate on legislation that would update statute to prevent those under 18 from getting married.

Seven of the 10 bills in the package passed the Senate by unanimous votes while three others had only a small number of votes against them.

Collectively the package would increase the legal age for marriage in Michigan from 16 to 18 years old. The bills would also ban a minor’s parents or legal guardians from providing consent for a minor’s marriage. Several parts of the Penal Code would also be amended to address provisions involving penalties dealing with spouses under the age of 16.

Individuals between the age of 16 and 18 can under existing statute be married to an adult with at least one parent’s written consent while those under 16 require a judge’s approval and parental consent.

Passage of the bills in the Senate come one day after the House passed its own child marriage ban package, also with minimal votes in opposition.

Sen. Thomas Albert (R-Lowell) spoke in favor of the package, saying he would vote for it because “the good outweighs some of the concerns I have about the lack of possible exceptions.”

Albert said he did have concerns about a 16- or 17-year-old who becomes pregnant and the parents might wish to be married.

“It is not an optimal situation for two teenagers to find themselves in a situation of an unplanned pregnancy,” Albert said. “The fact of the matter is, while this may not be ideal, there are benefits of marriage in this situation, and it is imprudent to fail to waive the interests of the child.”

Sen. Jim Runestad (R-White Lake) rose to speak prior to the vote on SB 209 . He began to attack Democratic members by accusing them of taking a strong bipartisan policy item and politicizing the matter through talking points.

He was quickly gaveled down, prompting Runestad to respond by questioning not being able to speak to the amendments rejected Thursday along with House Republican amendments rejected in that chamber Wednesday.

When Runestad pivoted and began making a reference to hormone blockers, he was gaveled down a second time and was told that issue was not germane to the bills and subsequently ruled out of order when he argued the point with the presiding officer.

As he returned to his desk he could be heard repeatedly yelling “censorship” toward the presiding officer, who had given the floor to the next speaker.

Sen. Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing) referenced statistics from Unchained at Last, a group pushing for child marriage bans in each state. The statistics stated that more than 5,400 minors were married in Michigan between 2000 and 2021. Of these, about 95 percent were underage girls married to adult men.

“I’m excited to be voting yes on this bill, and the entire package, so I urge a yes vote on something that we should have tackled a long time ago,” Anthony said.