The FFRF Action Fund is celebrating a significant victory for children’s rights and secular values in Missouri: The state has officially ended child marriage.
House Bill 737, an omnibus child-protection bill, passed both legislative chambers this past session and was signed into law on July 9. Included in that bill is a provision that raises the minimum age of marriage to 18, an effort the FFRF Action Fund has strongly supported. The new law makes Missouri the latest of 16 states to completely outlaw the harmful and archaic practice of child marriage. The practice is often associated with certain religions and cults, with teenage girls typically married off to much older men.
“This is a major victory for Missouri’s children, who deserve protection from coercive abuse often cloaked in religious tradition and mislabeled as marriage,” says Annie Laurie Gaylor, president of the FFRF Action Fund. “No minor should be pushed into a lifelong legal commitment from which they are too young to escape legally. This law reinforces the fundamental truth that minors are not the property of parents, pastors or prospective spouses.”
Previously, Missouri law permitted minors to marry with parental consent — a loophole that frequently left young people, particularly girls, at risk of being forced into marriage. In some states, these minors end up in abusive relationships they can’t legally escape, since they are not allowed to file for divorce until age 18. The FFRF Action Fund highlighted how this contradiction stems from antiquated biblical notions, where young girls are treated as property, passed from father to husband.
“Child marriage isn’t a religious right — it’s a human rights abuse,” adds Gaylor. “We applaud Missouri lawmakers for affirming that no religious tradition should ever outweigh a child’s safety, autonomy or future.”
The FFRF Action Fund extends its gratitude to our members and allies in Missouri who took action by contacting legislators and speaking out to end child marriage in the state. With this new law, Missouri takes a powerful stand to protect children from abuse and religious exploitation.
The FFRF Action Fund will continue to support similar efforts across the country to ensure that no child is subjected to this dangerous and coercive practice.
FFRF Action Fund is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization that develops and advocates for legislation, regulations and government programs to preserve the constitutional principle of separation between state and church. It also advocates for the rights and views of nonbelievers, endorses candidates for political office, and publicizes the views of elected officials concerning religious liberty issues. It is the legislative arm of the Freedom From Religion Foundation.