North Carolina Seeks to Raise Minimum Age to Marry from 14 to 16

North Carolina state lawmakers seek to raise the minimum age to get married from 14 to 16. 

If passed, the change would also limit the difference in age between a 16-year-old and their spouse to four years. The maximum age gap will function similarly to statutory rape laws.

The legislation needs one more Senate vote before going to Governor Roy Cooper’s desk. It’s anticipated that the Democratic governor will sign it into law, hopefully, this week.

The state has gained the reputation of being a destination for adults who want to marry children, something lawmakers want to change.

The current state law allows children as young as 14 to wed if they are pregnant or if a judge approves the marriage. With parental consent, a 16-year-old may also get married.

The low minimum age has made the state a regional destination for adults looking to wed child brides. Adults from nearby states like South Carolina, Kentucky, Georgia, and Tennessee are now bringing child brides to N.C. All of those states have recently made changes to the minimum age.

“We will have moved the needle and made North Carolina no longer at the very bottom of the barrel of states,” Drew Reisinger, the register of deeds in Buncombe County, told CBS News. Last year, two-thirds of the marriages in Buncombe County involved at least one minor under 18.

Initially, the bill proposed raising the minimum age to 18. However, the bill lacked support from some state lawmakers who are still ok with some instances of children being allowed to get married.