Ohio Republican Party Leaders Differ on Whether Child Marriage Should Be a ‘Debate’

Ohio’s top Republican legislative leaders differ on whether child marriage deserves a “debate” at the Statehouse.

A bill to end child marriage, introduced in February, remains stagnant in a Senate committee. He has no public opponents.

Before 2019, there was no minimum age for marriage in Ohio. Although the state recommended that girls could marry at age 16, there were exceptions at any age if the child received parental and court consent, according to the Ohio Women’s Public Policy Network.

Still, 17-year-olds can marry someone up to four years older than them, provided the juvenile court approves.

“We are still not protecting these girls,” Stephanie Lowry, a child survivor of the marriage, said in an interview. “The same problems still exist.”

Lowry was one of two dozen women in wedding dresses who protested outside the Statehouse on Wednesday.

She says that when Lowry was 16, her mother forced her to marry an adult man, which got her pregnant. She added that there were “hidden legal loopholes” that allowed this to happen.

Even with a ring on her finger, she was still a child in the eyes of the law.

“I was in a battered women’s shelter where I couldn’t find a lawyer,” she said. “I couldn’t sign the lease. My legal guardian was my abuser, my husband, who was 20 years old.”

Although no opponents came forward, some religious activists argued that some child marriages should be allowed in cases of teenage pregnancy, which some lawmakers say is why the bill is stalled in committee.

We asked Matt Huffman, Speaker of the House of Representatives Lima and a Republican senator in Ohio, whether he thinks there should be such a debate in the House of Representatives and whether people who say that you can be 17 and marry an adult have any merit.

“Yes, well, I really think there should be a debate,” Huffman replied.

The reason this is legal is because of the prior cultural sentiment before women gained economic freedom.

“I think there’s certainly been a lot of change in the last 150 years and how society operates and views itself,” Huffman said.

Fifteen-year-olds could marry adults because “it was the way it was,” he said.

He then raised the issue that even 18-year-olds cannot buy alcohol, but can enlist in the army.

“Those are some pretty tough questions because do you trust 17-year-olds with four kids for three or four hours a night? Well, but you don’t trust 17-year-olds to do a lot of other things,” Huffman continued.

“I would suggest that marriage is the most important decision any person makes in their life, so I think the discussion is valid.”

Some protesters were shocked by Huffman’s comments and asked how the debate would go.

“As adults, they have no rights. The law clearly states that adulthood begins at 18, so we should not marry under 18 if we have no rights,” Lowry said. “We are putting minors at risk.”

Ohio Senate President Rob McColley, R-Napoleon, has previously said he supports ending child marriage even as the bill stalls.

We asked McColley if he thought it was ever a debate or discussion for a 17-year-old to marry an adult.

“Personally not,” he replied. “I don’t.”

Although McColley controls the chamber, there may not be enough votes to pass it if he brings it to the floor.

State Sen. Bill DeMora of Columbus, sponsor of the bipartisan bill, said several Republicans say they don’t want to interfere with people’s personal lives.

“They want to dictate to a woman what she can do with her bodily organs if she gets pregnant, but it is unwise to determine whether an 18-year-old should get married or not,” he said.

He added that these excuses do not hold up.

“This is all hypocritical and just frustrating that a few members are supporting something that has had no opposition in committee,” DeMora said, using an expletive to describe the views of elected GOP members.

Ohio House Minority Leader Dani Isaacsohn, D-Cincinnati, was equally upset that some Republicans were blocking the bill.

“It is shocking on so many levels that we are having a debate about child marriage in 2026 here in Ohio,” Isaacsohn said, firmly stating that it should be banned.

DeMora has previously said that if the bill doesn’t pass, McColley would have to force a public vote.

“All these laws hurt me and continue to hurt kids,” Lowry said.

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This article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and are published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication on other news outlets because it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland.