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Survivors and advocates press Senate Judiciary Committee to ban child marriage in Ohio
Summary
Survivors, domestic‑violence advocates and national organizations urged the Senate Judiciary Committee to pass SB 341 to eliminate judicial and close‑in‑age exceptions and set 18 as the minimum marriage age, citing forced‑marriage harms, emancipation consequences and trafficking risks.
Survivors and advocates told the Senate Judiciary Committee that Senate Bill 341 should be amended to end child marriage in Ohio by eliminating exceptions and setting 18 as the minimum marriage age.
Frady Reese, founder and executive director of Unchained At Last and a survivor of forced marriage, urged lawmakers to "pass this simple common sense legislation that costs nothing, harms no one, and ends a human rights abuse," saying the 2019 changes left a judicial loophole that still allows minors to be married. "The judicial review process ... does not mitigate the risk of…
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