Please Contact Your New Jersey State Assembly Member on the Child Marriage Ban Bill

from Marie Tasy, Executive Director
New Jersey Right to Life

The Child Marriage Ban Bill, A865/S427 passed the NJ Senate on April 12. The bill is awaiting a hearing before the Assembly Judiciary Committee.

Every state except NY that has taken up this legislation has added an exception to allow teenagers aged 16-17 to marry. However, even in NY, an amendment was added to allow an exception for 17 year olds to marry.

You will recall that Governor Christie issued a CV of this bill last year suggesting that an exception be made for 16 and 17 year olds. Here is an excerpt from his conditional veto:

"It is disingenuous to hold that a 16-year-old may never consent to marriage, although New Jersey law permits the very same 16-year-old to consent to sex or obtain an abortion without so much as parental knowledge, let alone consent," Christie wrote. "That inconsistency in logic undercuts the alleged logic of an outright ban."  (Use this link to read Politico's article.)

There is an abortion component to this bill, although not expressly stated. If a pregnant 16 or 17 year old wants to marry the father of her child and will be prohibited to because of this law, the only choice she will have is unwed motherhood or abortion. If there is truly a problem with the judicial system missing cases of forced marriages, than that needs to be addressed.

This is a one size fits all approach and it's flawed legislation. Abortion groups which include NOW and Planned Parenthood support the bill.

Please contact your 2 Assembly Members and urge them to Vote No on A865/S427 unless an amendment is added to allow pregnant 16 and17 yr olds to marry.

 

Please call, email and schedule a meeting with your 2 State Assembly Members immediately and urge them to Vote No on A865/S427.

You can find your 2 state Assembly members at the Legislature's web page HERE

You can also call the Office of Legislative Services at 1-800-792-8630 during regular business hours to obtain the name and contact information of your 2 State Assembly Members.

 

New Jersey Right to Life is the state’s largest and most active pro-life, non-partisan organization dedicated to protecting and fostering the most basic value of our society – human life. As the premier pro-life organization in NJ, we continue to lead the effort on all public policy matters concerning the sanctity of human life at the state and federal level. We promote, uphold, and support reverence and respect for all innocent human life from conception to natural death, without regard to condition, or circumstances of conception, quality, age, race, religion, creed, or color, whether born or pre-born.  For more information or to make a donation to help them with their work, please use this link.