An Ohio bill would raise the minimum marriage age to 18. A survivor of child marriage has also shared her story as lawmakers consider the proposal.
That is the central fact for Ohio families: the state is weighing whether children should be able to enter marriage before adulthood. Marriage is a good institution. It orders family life, protects children and gives men and women a public covenant of responsibility. Because it is serious, the law should treat it seriously.
Children need parents, pastors and communities that prepare them for marriage, not pressure them into it. Ohio should uphold marriage while also protecting minors from adult obligations they are not ready to bear.
This debate matters because weakening marriage harms families, but so does treating marriage as a shortcut around crisis, instability or exploitation. The next step is for lawmakers to make clear how Ohio law will protect children and honor marriage at the same time.
