AUGUSTA, Maine — The Maine House of Representatives passed Tuesday a proposal with bipartisan support to prevent people under the age of 18 from marrying.
The bill from Rep. Laura Supica, D-Bangor, would no longer allow marriage licenses to be issued to 17-year-olds in Maine. Under a 2023 law that moved the minimum age up from 16, the state currently allows people who are 17 to marry with the written consent of their parents, guardians or those with legal custody. A probate judge is allowed to also give consent in the absence of those qualified individuals.
The House passed the measure Tuesday in a 93-52 vote, with several Republicans joining Democrats to back it and all of the opposition otherwise coming from GOP members. Supica’s bill, cosponsored by Sen. Joe Martin, R-Rumford, and various Democrats, now heads to the Senate and needs additional votes in each chamber.
Supica, as well as advocates and adults who said they were forced into marriages when younger, testified last month in support of the proposal during a public hearing, with the Bangor lawmaker saying “children being allowed to enter into marriages just because their parents give their consent is dangerous.” Opponents largely made arguments citing freedom of choice.
“Too many children are forced into marriages,” Supica said, “and while even those over 18 years of age can be forced, the difference is that when they are able to flee, they have greater access to services to help them sufficiently escape an abuser.”
Maine could join other New England states in banning child marriage. Last year, New Hampshire became the 13th state to ban child marriage, though its lawmakers are currently considering an exception for active-duty military members.
