Did you know that there is no minimum age for marriage in California?
For some romantics, this may evoke Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare’s tragic teenagers.
The reality is much different and often is used to cover up child abuse and human trafficking, says the California Catholic Conference’s Molly Sheahan. The California bishops urge passage of AB 1267 which would establish an absolute minimum for marriage of 18 years old. Read the letter sent by the California Catholic Conference here.
The legislation has passed the state Assembly and is in the state Senate, likely headed to the floor of the Senate for a vote.
An estimated 23,588 child marriages took place in California between 2000 and 2018, and census data shows that more than 8,000 children enter marriage every year in our state, the California Catholic Conference states in its action alert. The actual number is unclear as the official state number of marriages is much lower, Sheahan said.
California, New Mexico and Mississippi are the only states in the U.S. with no minimum age for marriage. Only 17 states and the District of Columbia completely ban marriage before the age of 18.
“It’s alarming to realize there is no minimum age for marriage in California. Minor marriages, or “child marriages,” typically involve young girls with older men, often hiding abuse or human trafficking, and are widely regarded as a human rights violation,” said Sheahan, associate director for healthy families for the California Catholic Conference. “Recognizing that consent is essential for marriage, the Catholic Church sets the minimum age at 18 to ensure that young people enter into the sacrament with the maturity it requires.”
Molly Sheahan, associate director for healthy families, California Catholic Conference.
“Some frame child marriage as a choice driven by love. That framing sidesteps a hard truth. Adults don’t always act out of love, and parents don’t always act in a child’s best interest,” said Christina Sutton, who lives and works in San Francisco. Sutton testified June 30 before the state Senate Standing Committee on the Judiciary.
Christina Sutton testified before a state Senate committee in June.
“AB 1267 would have protected me. I was 16 when a nearly 22-year-old man began a sexual relationship with me within hours of meeting me. The legal term for that is statutory rape,” said Sutton, who said her parents forced her to marry the man and she lied to the judge who questioned her because of the fear of abuse at home.
Child marriage is classified as child abuse by the U.S. State Department and the United Nations.
Despite global efforts to end it, child marriage remains widespread and deeply rooted in gender inequality, according to a 2025 report by the World Bank which states that nearly 650 million women alive today were married or in a union before the age of 18.
“Although boys can also be subjected to early marriage, girls are disproportionately affected. Child brides are often married to much older men, reinforcing unequal power dynamics and increasing their vulnerability to abuse and control within marriage,” according to the report. (UNFPA, 2023)
“Minor marriages often involve a young girl with an older man, may cover up abuse or human trafficking, and are considered a human rights violation. Even in the best of circumstances, between 70 and 80% of marriages involving a minor end in divorce, highlighting the instability of these relationships,” the California Catholic Conference states in the action alert on its web page, urging Californians to contact their lawmakers in support of AB 1267.
“When a minor enters a marriage, a sexual relationship that would otherwise be illegal under California law is transformed into a legally recognized relationship,” bill sponsor Assemblymember Gail Pellerin, D-Santa Cruz, told the state Senate Standing Committee on the Judiciary at its June 30 hearing. “Even with judicial approval, child marriage can undermine statutory rape protections and has been documented as a tool used by abusers and traffickers to maintain control over minors. California must protect our kids and end child marriage once and for all.”
Assemblymember Gail Pellerin
The Catholic Conference joins Unchained At Last, a longtime advocate against child marriage, and a number of other organizations in supporting Assembly Bill 1267.
The ACLU opposes the legislation, which observers say has a good chance of passage because this time around Planned Parenthood has removed its opposition and has no position on the bill.
To follow the progress of the legislation, go here.
–By Valerie Schmalz, director, Office of Human Life & Dignity, Archdiocese of San Francisco
