Newsweek: “Tennessee Republicans are moving forward with a bill that would eliminate age requirements for marriage in the state.
The bill, HB 233, is scheduled to be heard in the House Civil Justice Committee on Wednesday and would establish common-law marriage between “one man” and “one woman,” but it does not include a minimum age requirement. Opponents of the bill said it could open up the possibility of child marriages. The current age for marriage in the state is 17 with parental consent, according to WKRN.
“So, all this bill does is give an alternative form of marriage for those pastors and other individuals who have a conscientious objection to the current pathway to marriage in our law,” the bill’s sponsor, Republican Representative Tom Leatherwood, was quoted by WKRN.”