&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "‘Long overdue’: California bans child marriage, but 32 US states still allow it")
California on Wednesday (Sep 30) became the 18th US state to ban child marriage, with Governor Gavin Newsom signing AB 1267, a legislation that sets the minimum legal age for marriage in the state at 18. California law, AB 1267, eliminates existing provisions that allowed minors to marry with parental consent and judicial approval. It will take effect on January 1, 2027. Notably, the practice, which till a decade ago was allowed across America, in 2026, still remains legal in 32 US states. According to Unchained at Last, an organisation that campaigns against child marriage in the US, between 2000 and 2021, nearly 315,000 children were legally entered into marriage across the nation. The vast majority of them were young girls wed to adult men.
Newsom calls ban ‘long overdue’
Newsom signed the legislation on Wednesday in his office alongside Courtney Stodden, a survivor of child marriage who has campaigned for tougher laws. “This is a long overdue measure to protect young Californians and minors. Today, California kids are safer than ever before,” Newsom said.
Stodden's parents allowed her to marry actor Doug Hutchison when she was 16. After the bill was signed, she described the move as a victory for survivors and said she would continue campaigning for child marriage to be prohibited across all 50 states. “Governor Newsom’s action today made clear to me and to survivors of child marriage everywhere that we should never have been expected to carry this burden,” Stodden said.
What California's new law changes
Before the new law, California did not set an absolute minimum age for marriage. Minors could marry with parental consent and approval from a judge. AB 1267 removes those provisions and establishes 18 as the minimum age for both marriage and domestic partnership.
The issue has drawn particular attention from survivors and advocacy groups, which have argued that minors can face significant barriers when attempting to challenge or leave marriages entered into before adulthood.
Unchained At Last had estimated that more than 8,000 children were married in California each year, although the state does not systematically track the age of all people getting married.
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Survivors welcome California ban
Survivors who campaigned for the legislation said the law marked a significant change after years of advocacy. Brittany Bee, who said she married at 17 after leaving an abusive home, told the BBC that children should not be expected to make decisions about marriage as adults would.
Sara Tasneen, another survivor and campaigner, said she was forced to marry at 15 and later became a mother at 16. She said watching the legislation reach the finish line had been “a marathon”.
The California legislation follows a broader US movement to raise marriage ages. According to Unchained At Last, 17 states had completely banned child marriage before Newsom signed California's law.
What happens next?
The new California rules will not take effect immediately. The law becomes operative on January 1, 2027, meaning marriages involving minors that would previously have been permitted under California's parental-consent and judicial-approval system will no longer be allowed after that date.
