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Too Young to Get Married in Maryland?
How young is too young when it comes to marriage? If you are like most adults, the number that popped into your head was probably a low-20s or maybe even a high-teens. If you live in Maryland, you may be surprised to find out the real answer to that question: 15.
Under current state current state law, the minimum age to get married is 18. That is, unless your parents gives you permission or you are pregnant. If either of those are the case, you can get married at 16. If both of your parents give you permission? You can get married at 15.
According to reports, there were more than 3,000 people under the age of 18 who got married in Maryland between 2000 and 2014. The majority of those marriages took place between an underage girl being married to an adult man. Del. Vanessa Atterbeary, D-Howard County, wants to change that. She has brought attention to the issue to legislature and has plans to do it again next year if the law isn’t changed.
There are several states across the nation that allow for underage children to get married due to some type of exception. Virginia was the first state to set the minimum age for marriage at 18 with no exception. That law was passed in 2016.
If you need assistance with a family law matter in Columbia, reach out to our team. We will help you schedule an appointment so that we can review the details of your case and advise you of your legal options.
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