Arkansas Toddlers Can’t Marry… Anymore?
Outraged toddlers have been prevented from marrying in Arkansas! Well, not quite. But a law in Arkansas that inadvertently allowed anyone under the age of 18 to marry with parental consent has been repealed by the state legislature.
Arkansas lawmakers didn’t realize that a law they passed last year completely removed the minimum marrying age, instead of establishing 18 as the minimum. In testament to the fact that you should proofread everything, the tiny word “not” allowed anyone not pregnant to marry with permission. At any age. Oops.
Of course, people started freaking out, sure that pedophiles would find a way to take advantage of the law and marry a child. With their parents’ permission. And what parent in his or her right mind would let a child marry? In today’s U.S.? Maybe Arkansas lawmakers are a little dumber than we gave them credit for.
The law now sets 17 as the minimum for boys and 16 for girls. And there weren’t any reports of anyone under those ages attempting to marry while the erroneous law was in place.
[Source]
Photo by Leslie Duss licensed under Creative Commons.
3 Comments
That’s funny, Becky. As a resident of Texas, I’m always dismayed at how many of these dumb news items originate in the South.
And most of those stories start out with “Hey guys, watch this!”
I’m from Missouri (originally), so yeah, I hear you.
Funny because it’s true.