Child marriage is legal in Tennessee, and a bill looking to change that is held up in the state Senate. People getting married in Tennessee under the age of 18 are overwhelmingly girls, many of whom are marrying creepy adult men. In at least three cases, creepy adult men have married 10-year-old girls. But while some Republicans were on board with Democratic state Sen. Jeff Yarbro’s bill, others worried that it was going too far by banning all marriages of people under 18 without any exceptions.
Child marriage in Tennessee brings with it some truly messed-up effects:
Yarbro pointed out that state law prohibits minors from entering other contracts, including with an attorney who can provide consultation in the event that a person may need an order of protection from an abusive spouse. [...]
"It is disconcerting to think about if a 17-year-old girl gets married to a 25-year-old man and she wants to get a divorce or take out an order of protection, she can't retain an attorney," said Sen. Jon Lundberg, R-Bristol.
Disconcerting is one word. And how’s this for contrast?
The legislation has yet to be taken up in the House.
Meanwhile, House lawmakers approved a bill Monday that would prohibit anyone under the age of 16 from using a tanning bed.
Prioritizing protecting teens from tanning beds over protecting them from child marriage. It’s like Tennessee lawmakers want to be the subject of a monologue by every late-night comedian in the country. Guys, how about you get moving on this before any more 10-year-olds are married off to horrible predators?