West Virginia senators reject bill to ban child marriage

West Virginia state senators on the Judiciary Committee rejected a bill on Wednesday to ban child marriage under all circumstances.

The bill, which was narrowly voted down 9-8 by the committee, sought to establish 18 as the age of consent for marriage and remove the ability for minors to even seek consent from a parent, guardian or court to marry. 

In West Virginia, children as young as 16 can currently marry with parental consent, while those under 16 must request a waiver from a judge, according to ABC News. A Pew Research Center analysis based on 2014 data found that the state had one of the highest rates of child marriage in the country.

“I just wanted to remind everyone in the room that this is International Women’s Day,” state Senate Minority Leader Mike Woelfel (D) said after the committee rejected the bill, according to MetroNews. “Thank you.”

Democratic state Delegate Sen. Kayla Young, the lead sponsor on the bill, slammed the committee vote on Wednesday. The bill was overwhelmingly passed by the West Virginia House of Delegates last week.

“They first moved to table the bill without discussion, which failed, so they killed the bill instead,” Young said in a tweet. “For now, there will be no floor for the age of marriage in WV, endangering our kids.”

The bill was successfully discharged from the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday but it remains to be seen if it can pass the full state Senate.