New Hampshire is making strides toward ending child marriage: The House of Representatives just voted “yes” on HB1516, the bill to end all marriage before 18, sponsored by Rep. Cassie Levesque.
The New Hampshire legislature has failed in all its previous attempts to end child marriage. Then-NH Rep. David Bates actually said out loud in 2017: “We’re asking the legislature to repeal a law that’s been on the books for over a century, that’s been working without difficulty, on the basis of a request from a minor doing a Girl Scout project.” (That Girl Scout was Levesque, who was not yet a legislator.)
But finally, progress. This is the first time a bill to eliminate child marriage in New Hampshire has gotten this far. Next, the bill heads to the senate.
Click here to track our progress as we push to end child marriage in every U.S. state and territory.
