About two dozen women, dressed in bridal gowns, some wearing chains and handcuffs, stood on the steps outside the Ohio Statehouse last week. They called for lawmakers to pass a bill to make it illegal for anyone under 18 to be married in Ohio.
Stephanie Lowry was one of the “brides”. She was 14 years old when her father, the head of her household of Jehovah's Witnesses, passed away. Within six months, her 19-year-old sister got married, and Lowry was sent to live with her. Then, at 15 years old, she got pregnant.
“So, a month after my 16th birthday, I stood in an Ohio courtroom, four months pregnant, and got married to this 19-year-old man,” Lowry recalled. “I didn’t know the dangers in it. I’m not sure if my mother did either. She thought it was the best option. But he turned abusive and I had no legal rights.”
Lowry said under Ohio law, because she was married, her then-husband had legal control over her. She said police didn’t know what to do with her when she called for help to get away from her abusive husband.
“I went to the police station, 16 [years old] with my nine-month-old son, and the cop got me a bag of Skittles, treated me like a child. Because that’s what I was,” Lowry said. “Victim assistance? They didn’t know what to do with me. Luckily, the battered woman’s shelter in Akron took a chance on me.”
Lowry said she was able to stay there until she turned 18 and could legally divorce her husband.
The founder and director of a national group that fights against childhood marriage has targeted Ohio to change its law. Fraidy Reese of Unchained At Last said these young marriages are happening in immigrant communities as well because girls under 18 are being offered for marriage to settle debts or provide legal status to someone.
Marriage in Ohio is illegal for anyone under 17. And Reiss is frustrated that lawmakers won’t move the bill that would turn the minimum age from 17 to 18
“They’re all so being cowards. No one is even coming forward to say, ‘well, I’m the one holding it up and here’s why.’ We have not heard about who is holding it up, no one has told us why,” Reese said. “It’s just ‘well, we haven’t had time to vote on this yet. We haven’t voted on it yet.’ Clearly someone is holding it up. Tell us who. Tell us why. Let that person come forward.”
Sen. Bill Blessing (R-Colerain Twp.) is a sponsor of the bill. He said he’s heard some reasons why some lawmakers silently oppose the bill.
“Typical conservative argument where there can be some situation where this is ok, is this government overreach, potential issues that this would increase abortion,” Blessing said.
Blessing said he’s not willing to compromise on the age. Neither is Sen. Bill DeMora (D-Columbus), who is the joint sponsor of the bill.
“All of their bs excuses don’t hold water as far as I’m concerned. This is something that we should end,” DeMora said. “Basically, this is a license from the state to allow sex trafficking of minors by the cause they are getting married and are 18 years old so they have no rights to do anything about it.”
Senate President Rob McColley (R-Napoleon) said he’s not holding it up.
"I’m in favor of it. I still think there’s a possibility that we pass it," McColley said last week. “There’s still time left in the legislative session, and there’s a good chance we are going to pass it.”
House Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima) said he believes the bill is worthy of debate.
“I do think things have fundamentally changed, or I would say evolved and gotten better about what kind of decisions, good decisions 17-year-olds can make," Huffman said. "I would suggest that marriage is the most important decision that any individual makes in their lives, so I think there’s merit to discussion.”
When asked whether he thinks the subject of 17-year-olds getting married requires discussion, he replied, “Personally, no, I don’t.”
Though the bill was introduced in January, the Ohio Senate Judiciary Committee is set to hear it for the first time on Wednesday morning. The bill must be passed by the House and Senate by the end of this year. Otherwise, backers of it will have to start the legislative process all over in the next General Assembly in January.
Seventeen other states have banned marriage for people under 18, including Pennsylvania and states along the northeast seaboard.
