Marriage Bill Passes House With One Dissenting Vote

[Freddie Stubbs]

February 15 - State lawmakers are taking steps to set to modify the minimum age for Kansas residents to get married. All but one member voted in favor of the bill.

Right now, Kansas law allows people as young as 12-years-old to get married with a parent or judge's consent. The House has given approval on a bill that would change the minimum age to 16 with parental approval and 18 without it.

The bill passed 121-1. Representative Bonnie Huy of Wichita cast the one dissenting vote. Huy says there have only been 34 underage marriages since 1999 in Kansas. She says she doesn't want to limit Kansans facing the most important decision of their young lives.

Huy says she doesn't embrace underage marriage, but believes changing the law infringes on parents rights to raise children. She calls the bill a knee jerk reaction to an isolated incident.

more: http://www.kake.com/home/headlines/2319196.html

[Big Unit]

1. Brainstorm

And the government also shouldn't tell us at what age we can drive a car, sign up for military service, vote (certainly not for Huy) or consent to sex - rriiighttt.

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. If young teens want to get married,

they should move to Utah.

[KansDem]

6. You forgot smoking!

[beyurslf]

3. I knew Huy was dumb, but Id didn't realize she was THAT dumb

Legal age to consent to sex in KS is 14. So they can marry at 12 but not have sex for 2 years?

[Big Unit]

4. Not Correct

Actually, the age of consent is 16 in Kansas.

[beyurslf]

5. It's 14. That's why rape laws state that sex with anyone under 14 is

rape regardless of consent. What was wrong in the post is the law states that sex with someone under 14 is rape UNLESS you are married to that person.