Patheos sums it up quite succinctly: Led by conservative Christians, Republican lawmakers in Idaho vote down legislation that would have ended child marriage in the state.
On Thursday, the state of Idaho’s Republican-controlled House of Representatives voted down legislation aimed to prevent children under the age of 16 from getting married. The bill would require the consent of…
- most importantly, the child (who is, if you’ll recall, under 16),
- the child’s parents,
- and a court.
Defenders of this terrible vote included Republican representative Bryan Zollinger…
“I do not think courts should be involved in marriage at all. I don’t believe there should be a license required to get married. I think two willing people should be able to go and get married.”
…and Republican Representative Christy Zito mentioned abortion, which is legal in Idaho before age 18 with approval from a parent or judge:
“It will then become easier in the state of Idaho to obtain an abortion at 15-and-a-half years old than it will to decide to form a family.”
Further reading
Source: UnchainedAtLast.org. Click the image to see the source.
- Newsweek: REPUBLICAN CONTROLLED IDAHO CONGRESS REJECTS BILL TO END CHILD MARRIAGE FOR THOSE UNDER THE AGE OF 16
- The Hill: Idaho lawmakers kill bill that would have ended child marriage under 16 in state
- Idaho Statesman: This bill would have ended child marriage for those under age in Idaho. The House voted it down
- UnchainedAtLast.org: Child Marriage – Shocking Statistics, whose stats indicate that Idaho has the highest rate of child marriage in the U.S.