California: Governor Newsom signs bill to ban child marriage

~ # California Bans Child Marriage as Newsom Signs AB 1267

California has banned child marriage after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 1267, setting the minimum age for marriage and domestic partnership at 18.

The law repeals provisions that allowed minors to marry or enter domestic partnerships with parental consent. The bill was sponsored by Unchained At Last and the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls.

Newsom signed the measure in Sacramento alongside advocate Courtney Stodden, who married actor Doug Hutchison at age 16 with her parents' permission. Stodden has described the relationship as abusive and predatory and has since become an advocate against child exploitation.

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"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. She thanked survivors and advocacy groups, adding that she would continue working to end child marriage nationwide.

Assemblymember Gail Pellerin, the bill's author, said survivors' accounts helped lawmakers understand the coercion and abuse minors can face, as well as the barriers they encounter when trying to seek help or leave.

Seventeen states have completely banned child marriage without exceptions, according to the governor's office. Newsom called California's new law a long-overdue measure to protect young people.

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