Every state, including West Virginia, should ban child marriage to protect girls from harm

By: Paula Kaufman

Outlets: West Virginia Watch

Published: July 31, 2026

Words: 684

Last Updated: 3 days, 10 hours ago

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West Virginia has one of the weakest marriage laws in the region. Currently, 17 states ban child marriage entirely. News flash: West Virginia isn’t one of them. Thirty-three states still permit it with exceptions. Some still have no minimum age. That’s shocking. It protects predators over a girl’s safety.

Virginia and Pennsylvania completely banned marriage for minors. In Ohio and Kentucky you can be as young as 17 with judicial approval. In West …

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