Is There Even One Good Reason To Get Married Before 16 Years Old?
In my opinion.....no way, Jose. I have to say, there have been a lot of weirdo laws coming across the docket for lawmakers in Maine this year, but as I read this headline from WGME-TV13, I actually uttered an honest-to-god WTF?! out loud. And as I read a bit more, it didn't really do much to soothe my sanity.
As it stands right now in Maine, basically you need to be 18 years old to get married. I suppose, personal feelings aside, there may be reasons for juveniles under 18 to get married. but you will need a parent/guardian's consent. But what really got me a little bit gruff, was that apparently, you can currently get married UNDER 16 years old with permission from a parent.
This is where the personal feelings come in.... Why on God's green Earth, does anyone need to get married under 16 years old? Other than wanting to play house? I know there are folks who get emancipated from their folks, and I guess they can kinda do whatever they want. But under 16?! But according to current Maine Law under Title 19-A, it can happen with parental consent even earlier!
Well, one Maine lawmaker, Sen. David Miramant, is trying to get that law changed, so that no one under 16 can marry legally in this state for any reason. Maybe 200 years ago, when Maine became a state, things like that were more commonplace. Even then, I'm not saying it was right, but it happened. In this day and age though, it just seems poised to open up a can of worms that should just never be opened.
Hopefully, logical heads will prevail, and they can all reach across the aisle, and make sure our Maine youth is safe. I mean, yeah everyone should have their shot at marriage. But letting minors make decisions about their future that could just be too sophisticated, isn't in anyone's best interest. But hey.... I'm just a crazy DJ. What do I know?