New law raises age of consent for marriage to 18 in New York
A bill raising the age of consent for marriage in New York to 18 was signed into law on Thursday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
The new law is meant to build on a prior bill backed and approved by Cuomo in 2017 that was aimed at ending child marriages, but allowed for 17-year-olds to be married with the consent of parents and the courts.
“This administration fought hard to successfully end child marriage in New York and I’m proud to sign this legislation to strengthen our laws and further protect vulnerable children from exploitation,” Cuomo said. “Children should be allowed to live their childhood and I thank the many legislators and advocates who worked diligently to advance this measure and further prevent forced marriages in this state.”
The law approved four years ago raised the age of consent in New York from 14 to 18, with the judicial requirement for 17-year-olds in New York. The measure at the time was meant to address concerns over arranged marriages found in some religious communities that allowed teens to be married, often to older men.
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