Bill would raise minimum marriage age to 18

NORWALK — Ohio lawmakers are moving to eliminate the state's exception allowing 17-year-olds to marry. State Sens. Bill DeMora, D-Columbus, and Louis W. Blessing III, R-Colerain Township, recently introduced Senate Bill 341, which would raise the minimum legal age for marriage in Ohio to 18 without exception. Under current Ohio law, 17-year-olds may marry only if a juvenile court grants consent. The other party must be no more than four years older, and the court must issue an order granting the minor legal capacity to enter the marriage, according to the Ohio Revised Code. The proposed legislation would repeal that exception and require both parties to be adults. "Right now, Ohio law allows a minor to basically entrap themselves in a marriage where, if anything goes wrong, they won't be able to help themselves, as they can't go to a shelter or seek an attorney," DeMora said. "If the kids truly love each other, then surely waiting a year or two to make the most important decision of their lives is not too big a burden." Supporters of the bill argue that even with judicial oversight, allowing minors to marry can create vulnerabilities. "When one spouse is a minor, the power imbalance is easier to exploit, harder to push back against, and harder to escape," Maria York of the Ohio Domestic Violence Network said during coverage of the press conference. Mircea Handru, director of the Mental Health and Recovery Services Board of Huron, Seneca, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wyandot Counties, said early marriage can complicate efforts to leave abusive relationships. "Marriage and having children makes it much harder to leave an abuser. They can be in an awful situation, but won't leave," Handru said. "Abusers are very good at making threats, especially about the kids." According to the Ohio Department of Health, at least 52 people aged 17 married in Ohio between 2020 and 2024 under the current law. What does the law say? Ohio legislated its current marriage statute in 2019. Before that change, the state did not have a firm minimum age written into law. Under previous statutes, minors younger than 17 could marry with parental consent and court approval. The General Assembly amended the law to establish 18 as the minimum age, while preserving a limited exception for 17-year-olds who receive juvenile court consent and meet age-difference requirements, according to legislative records and reporting at the time. Senate Bill 341 would eliminate that remaining exception. If enacted, Ohio would join at least 16 states that prohibit marriage under 18 without exceptions, according to national policy analyses. Most other states continue to allow minors to marry under specific conditions, such as judicial approval or parental consent. The bill has been introduced and awaits committee consideration in the Ohio Senate.