There was a hearing for HB 34 before the House's Children and Family Law Committee. It would raise the legal age for getting married from 16 to 18 in New Hampshire.
The bill was introduced by its sponsor, Rep. Cassandra Levesque (D-Barrington), who is the activist and legislator largely responsible for getting the age raised to 16 (from 13 for girls and 14 for boys), back in 2019. Since then, Republicans have been stonewalling on getting the age raised all the way up to 18,
Rep. Levesque described the generational impact that child marriages have on peoples lives, as has occurred within her own family history. She spoke of the how child marriage commonly coincides with trafficking and abuse. She described a case of a 16 year old being married to a 49-year old, in exchange for financial compensation to a parent, as an example of something that happens and should not be sanctioned by law.
"You have to be 18 to sign a legal contract. Why do we allow 16 year olds to sign a legal contract of marriage?" Rep. Levesque asked,. She noted that girls who get married at 16 face a barrier to getting legal representation if they want to get out by getting a divorce, because they are not legally old enough to sign a contract with a lawyer.
Republicans were predictably harping on the idea that marriages under 18 in New Hampshire are quite rare. Which is true - these marriages have become pretty rare. This article says 10 in the past three years. To me, that's a signal to close the book on the practice. But to Republicans, ensuring that someone can marry two years before they can vote is more of a "freedom" thing.
However, as one might expect, what it really boils down to is abortion. The theory goes that if a 16 year old gets pregnant, they would be less likely to get an abortion if they could get married instead. It seems that some people look back fondly on the days of shotgun weddings and see a lot of value in coercive models of family behavior.
The hearing closed with the moving testimony of Rep. Maria Perez (D-Milford). She shared her story of being sold into an arranged marriage when she was a minor, and of the abuse she endured at the hands of a much-older husband..
Her statement is queued up in the YouTube link below - it is recommended watching. Milford can be proud of its State Rep.