California is set to become the 18th US state to ban child marriage, with the new law taking effect on January 1, 2027. The legislation sets the minimum marriage age at 18, removing previous exceptions that allowed minors to wed. However, child marriage remains legal in some circumstances across 32 other US states, where rules on minimum age and consent vary.
Governor signs landmark legislation
Governor Gavin Newsom signed the bill alongside Courtney Stodden, who has firsthand experience of child marriage. Stodden's parents allowed her to marry 50-year-old Hollywood actor Doug Hutchison in 2011 when she was 16. The couple announced their separation after two and a half years, reconciled over the years, and officially divorced in 2020.
Newsom said: "This is a long overdue measure to protect young Californians and minors. Today, California kids are safer than ever before."
Survivor advocacy and campaign
Stodden began advocating to end child marriage in the US in 2023 after openly describing her relationship as abusive and predatory. She said she would "keep fighting until children are protected from marriage in all 50 states."
On social media, Stodden previously said: "I wasn't an old soul. I wasn't mature for my age. I was a child surrounded by adults who chose not to protect me." In a separate post, she wrote: "I fear another girl could be facing the same thing. that fear is why I fight: children deserve protection, the chance to grow up, and the right to choose their own future. end child marriage everywhere. no exceptions."
Previous legal landscape and opposition
Until now, California was one of only three states, alongside New Mexico and Mississippi, with no minimum age to wed. Children could marry with parental consent and a judge's approval, while advocates highlighted the difficulties minors could face in accessing divorce. Advocates have argued for nearly a decade that children cannot consent to marriage.
Earlier legislation that would have made California the first state to pass a complete ban on under-18 marriage faced opposition from the American Civil Liberties Union, the Children's Law Center, and Planned Parenthood, with concerns that an outright ban could restrict minors' reproductive freedom and healthcare decisions. The measure was subsequently watered down. In 2018, additional safeguards were introduced, including Family Court Services interviews aimed at identifying potential coercion or abuse.
Reaction from other survivors
Other survivors of child marriage applauded the new law. Brittany Bee, a former child bride, told the BBC she was married at 17 to escape an abusive home but later was allegedly abused by her adult husband. She said: "I was just going from one prison to another. People have the audacity to tell me that I made a choice - kids, they can't consent."
Bee told the BBC: "California has sent a clear message to the world today, A message of hope for all children that they may be free from systemic violence. That they may choose their own path."
