GOP official argues in favor of child marriage: Girls are ‘ripe’ and ‘fertile’. Your thoughts?

[Anonymous]

The New Hampshire House passed a bill to ban child marriage in the state and raise the minimum age of marriage to 18.

The measure passed the Senate unanimously in March. On Thursday, it passed the House, 192-174. The bill now goes to Gov. Chris Sununu for signing into law.

One of those voting against was Representative Jess Edwards, whose comments sparked immediate gasps from colleagues.

“… If we continually restrict the freedom of marriage as a legitimate social option, when we do this to people who are a ripe, fertile age and may have a pregnancy and a baby involved, are we not, in fact, making abortion a much more desirable alternative, when marriage might be the right solution for some freedom-loving couples?” he said.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/gop-official-argues-in-favor-of-child-marriage-girls-are-ripe-and-fertile/ar-AA1o92Vq

^ Representative Jess Edwards (R)

sooo… thoughts?

[NamerOfStars]

Well, he's not factually wrong; adolescent girls are, past a certain point, very fertile. That's kind of how humanity survives when our reproductive process takes so long and usually only gives one baby at a time.

And he's not legally wrong; it IS an infringement on personal rights.

The part that terrifies people is that he's not morally wrong; every last person over the age of 18 was at one point UNDER 18, and knows from personal experience that sexual desires, and capabilities, don't suddenly flare into existence on your eighteenth birthday.

The logical course of action would be to embrace a more nuanced view of adolescent sexuality; one can't really do otherwise and still look down on people sticking their heads in the sand on some other issue. Teens are GOING to have sex; better they be informed and aware of the risks and details of the process, no?

I'm not comfortable with the whole thing either, but right and wrong aren't based on my comfort levels. "Minor" and "child" are not the same thing, and if the issue is to be discussed with any kind of intellectual honesty, we need to- well, it doesn't really matter how that sentence ends, because it won't be discussed honestly. By the time you read this, a half-dozen other people will have reported it for promoting sexual abuse. It's not, but that's the strength of the knee-jerk reaction. The very commendable to desire to not see vulnerable people sexually abused isn't done any favors by the unwillingness to actually THINK about the issue.

[OlderAndWiser]

You are talking about a politician who was elected to serve three towns although he received only 14% of the vote in his last election. It is a weird system in NH.

There are weirdos on both sides of the aisle. US Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga. expressed concern that the expansion of a US military base on Guam might cause the island to sink! https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hank-johnson-worries-guam-could-capsize-after-marine-buildup/

[MzAsh]

Child marriage is never the “right solution.” The brain is literally still developing. There’s a reason why we don’t let 7 years olds drive a car. And there’s a reason why teenagers shouldn’t be married or have babies.

[monorprise]

@MzAsh
If we had good judgement we wouldn't need to get married, sadly many people never have such good judgement.

Regardless not everyone's idea of marriage requires a "good match" but rather exist because there is no such thing.

Don't force your views upon them by setting such ill-rational rules. At least recognize theses popular new ideas about marriage are catastrophically failing the cultures that push them. For the sake of humanity let others return to the old course.

Nobody is going to care about your standards and "morality" if not enough people are born and raised to carry it forward.

[strateguy632]

to @MzAsh
you fell for the trap you thout child was age seven but the guy NEVER SAID CHILD.
about teenagers isn't 18 eighteen eigh-TEEN and nine-TEEN?

[monorprise]

he's absolute right Historically girls as young as 16 could get married and if a child was involved would be forced to. This was the propose of the institution, outlawing marriage below 18 only further reinforces non-working "modern" ideas regarding the institution into law.

The ideas are already killing off the population that holds them, so frankly this is just one more law that has to be ignored by the populations ARE replacing us in this land.