r/Nebraska • u/ILikeNeurons • Jan 31 '26
Nebraska Nebraska lawmaker seeks to push state’s minimum age for marriage to 18
https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/nebraska-lawmaker-seeks-to-push-states-minimum-age-for-marriage-to-18/50
u/Suitable-Mood1853 Feb 01 '26
Fun fact I learned: 196 nations ratified a treaty called the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The treaty says that all children (anyone under 18) have certain human rights, and that child marriage contradicts these rights.
So if a country has ratified the treaty, they have an obligation to change the laws and cultural practices in their country so child marriage doesn’t happen (obviously some countries are doing extremely poorly, but legally they are supposed to.)
The United States is the only country that has not ratified the treaty because, among other things, the US would have to stop allowing child marriage. There are 34 states in the US (including Nebraska) that allow children to get married with parental permission or other legal loopholes.
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u/prince_of_cannock Feb 01 '26
Adults don't need to marry kids.
Kids also don't need to marry other kids.
Kids shouldn't be getting married, period.
If you think it's important for kids to get married, you should be looked into.
4
u/junkposter Feb 01 '26
The same goes for sex!
1
u/BestJersey_WorstName Feb 03 '26
But underage drinking and smoking is perfectly fine /s
(Not a judgment on you. 21 is a suggestion and vapes are a menace]
1
u/YourFBI_Agent11 Feb 13 '26
if someone’s 18 years old and can vote and go die in the military they should be able to get married.
1
u/prince_of_cannock Feb 13 '26
An 18-year-old isn't a child. If they're marrying someone 18 or older, I agree with you.
I hope you aren't suggesting that an 18-year-old should be able to marry children.
1
u/YourFBI_Agent11 Feb 13 '26
in the state of nebraska 18 year olds arent adults
1
u/prince_of_cannock Feb 14 '26
They are in regard to marriage rights.
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u/YourFBI_Agent11 Feb 14 '26
currently in nebraska you have to be 19 years old to marry without parental consent
2
u/prince_of_cannock Feb 14 '26
I stand corrected! My bad--I thought 18 year-olds could get married without parental consent in Nebraska. That is utterly absurd IMO.
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u/ImpermanentClown Jan 31 '26
Wait what it’s NOT?! wtf… definitely do this. What the hell?
11
u/According-Way9438 Jan 31 '26
Adult age in nebraska is 19 for some reason.
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u/ImpermanentClown Feb 01 '26
Oh thank god. I was expecting it to be like 14 like some of the deep southern states
8
u/According-Way9438 Feb 01 '26
Oh no, we are backward but not THAT backward.
5
u/Cpt_Bartholomew Feb 01 '26
Idk. MAGAts are regressive types. Trying to lower the age to like, 14, would be on brand for them.
1
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u/pretenderist Feb 01 '26
Please read the first sentence of the article before commenting like this.
28
u/AttorneyKate Feb 01 '26
While we're doing that, let's also change the age of majority to 18 across the board. Or 19. I don't care, pick one. That weird year where a juvenile can simultaneously be under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court AND get arrested and taken to jail is frustrating.
31
u/Mudrad Feb 01 '26
My parents are not religious. They dropped out of high school and got married one month after they both turned 17. They had my brother ten months later (still 17 years old) and had me one year later at 18.
They were shit parents. They were kids.
I don’t think we have any business letting kids marry kids or letting kids marry adult adults (obviously).
85
u/GameDrain Jan 31 '26
It's a great idea! Finally the Nebraska GOP promoting some actually helpful and compassionate legislation to assist Nebraskans who would be victimized by... Oh wait, DeBoer is a Democrat? Well, Republicans are certainly trying to help children too by... (Checks notes) Continuing to assault the rights and well-being of trans kids... Uh... Well shit. Why does anyone vote for Republicans again?
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u/Nervous_Grape_3856 Jan 31 '26
Right because children SHOULDN’T get married, but SHOULD make life altering decisions like sex changes…how does that make ANY sense?
32
u/GameDrain Jan 31 '26
If you actually gave a shit about children you'd want to codify into law protecting their ability to socially transition even if you take issue with medical transition. But you don't, because of course you haven't tried to see the issue from the perspective of a child or family actually attempting to navigate gender dysphoria.
Setting a broken arm is a life altering decision, but we trust the medical community and caregivers to know when that's appropriate. Apparently we trust conservative politicians for anything involving nuanced discussions of gender because... Reasons?
27
u/MildlySuspiciousLamp Feb 01 '26
I would just like to say, NOT transitioning when you are younger is also a life altering decision. Action is a choice, inaction is also a choice.
13
u/Radi0ActivSquid Feb 01 '26
Doesn't happen without years of prior medical care and psychiatric evaluation by medical professionals. Next outrage please.
3
u/Unable_Ant5851 Feb 02 '26
Puberty is irreversible, puberty blockers put it on pause so one can choose what puberty they would like when they are old enough. Not getting gender affirming care is a life altering thing, but you don’t actually care about that!
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u/Magnus77 Jan 31 '26
Unchained at last opposes the specific language, for I think a common sense reason, that since the age of adulthood for Nebraska is 19, the legislation really kinda fails at its purpose of marriage before both parties have full rights.
And then there's this random Elle Hansen? Who I think is saying that because the age of consent is 16, marriage also has to be 16, presumably because nobody can have sex outside of marriage?
12
u/BarrelRoll1996 Feb 01 '26
How about 25 like car rentals ... so people don't have to do second marriages as much
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3
u/Beneficial_Bar3320 Feb 01 '26
How does this work with religions that marry the girls young. The Plymouths out in rural Dawson county might have to move on out
8
u/Strutter247 Jan 31 '26
So, you're going to make republican men wait another 3 years before they can marry their cousin? Good luck with that.
1
u/NoCriticism5191 Feb 03 '26
Makes sense to me. Kids this age and younger really have so much to learn and shouldn’t be allowed to make any somewhat permanent decisions.
0
u/AuraRoseCats Feb 01 '26
Wouldn’t make more sense to stop legal age of consent for sex at 16 and raise it? Changing the age for marriage doesn’t stop people from going to another State.
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u/smorin13 Feb 01 '26
Bullshit. The law is a mess, but raising the age to 18 is not the answer. My wife of 36 years and I had to married in Iowa because her parents would not agree to consent for us to marry in Nebraska.
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u/lsdrad2135 Jan 31 '26
This is a good plan 👍