About two dozen women, dressed in bridal gowns — some wearing chains and handcuffs — stood on the steps of the Ohio Statehouse last week. They were there to demand that lawmakers pass a bill banning marriage for anyone under 18 in Ohio.
Stephanie Lowry was one of those “brides.” She was 14 years old when her father, the head of her Jehovah’s Witnesses household, died. Within six months, her 19-year-old sister married and moved away, leaving Lowry to live with her. At 15, she became 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.”
Under Ohio law, Lowry said, her marriage gave her then-husband legal control over her. When she called police for help escaping the abuse, they had no idea how to handle her situation.
“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.”
She remained there until she turned 18 and could legally divorce her husband.
The founder and director of a national organization fighting childhood marriage has set her sights on Ohio. Fraidy Reese of Unchained At Last says these young marriages are also occurring in immigrant communities, where girls under 18 are offered in marriage to settle debts or secure legal status for someone else.
Ohio currently bars marriage for anyone under 17. Reese is frustrated that lawmakers refuse to advance the bill that would raise the minimum age 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.), a sponsor of the bill, said he has heard the quiet objections from some colleagues.
“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 will not budge on the age limit. Neither will joint sponsor Sen. Bill DeMora (D-Columbus).
“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) denied that he is blocking the bill.
“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 the bill deserves 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 personally believes the issue of 17-year-olds marrying warrants discussion, he replied, “Personally, no, I don’t.”
Although lawmakers introduced the bill in January, the Ohio Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to hear it for the first time Wednesday morning. The House and Senate must pass it before the end of the year — otherwise, supporters will have to restart the entire legislative process in the next General Assembly come January.
Seventeen other states have already banned marriage for anyone under 18, including Pennsylvania and states along the northeast seaboard.
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