Vermont becomes latest state to outlaw child marriage, raising eligibility age to 18

People in Vermont that want to get married have to be at least 18 starting in July, according to a new law signed on Thursday.

Republican Gov. Phil Scott’s signature officially made the Freedom and Unity State the eighth in the country to end child marriage.

Under current law, Vermonters aged 16 and 17 can get married, but only with the consent of one parent. The new law takes effect July 1.

The other seven states that have outlawed the practice for people under 18, all since 2018, are Delaware, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, New York, and Minnesota, according to nonprofit group Unchained At Last.

West Virginia outlawed child marriages for people younger than 16 in March, but it is considered a weaker bill by Unchained At Last because the other states have set the legal age for marriage at 18.

Supporters argue ending child marriage has the potential to better the education and lives of teenagers and reduce rates of domestic violence and unwanted pregnancies.