From their FAQ:[quote]Q: IS YOUR SERVICE LEGAL?
A: Absolutely. Within the United States girls can marry as young as 13 years old with parental permission, and the Bride Price is a custom of long standing, mentioned many times in the Bible, and as such is a protected religious practice. Click HERE for a listing of the age limits and legal requirements in various states. Click HERE for what the Bible says on Bride Price. [/quote]
[quote]“Our 15 year old daughter Mary wasn’t very popular and did nothing but mope around the house bringing everybody down, so we decided to marry her off through your site. Now our house is a lot cheerier and we love our new swimming pool and Jaccuzi! We’ve told our youngest that when she turns 15 we’re going to marry her off too!"
—Mrs. James P.[/quote]
This must - repeat must - be a joke of some sort.
[quote]“I was SO scared getting married so young, but my husband is an okay guy and I am SO proud that because of me my parents were able to get their first brand-new car and take the trip they always wanted to. I couldn’t have done it without your site!"
—Katrina K., married at 14[/quote]
Cool, a car for a daughter. Oh well, why not. One issue: you would have to be a complete tosser to marry one brought up in a household where she has learned that selling off young female members in order to finance cars or pools is a normal thing. Wonder what else they taught her.
I guess that the market for this will grow a fair bit once the US recession really starts to bite.
Remember that the U.S. has no less than 52 different jurisdictions and a corresponding number of sets of regulations on this topic. As an underlying general rule, the answer is a resounding NO! It is not possible (at least without a great deal of chicanery) Most states allow a minor, male or female to mary at age 13. But it is not an easy process. It requires BOTH parental consent and judicial consent. Not to mention the young partner’s consent which is, to my knowledge uniformally obtained in judical chambers one-on-one with the judge. I only saw it once. A young girl (age 13) had gotten pregnant by her boyfriend. The laws in that state allowed consenting sexual contact between people with only a couple years age difference. This union happened to fall in the category of legal consensual sex between minors. Social and Health Services was consulted by the judge, both parents were interviewed individually and alone by the judge and both potential spouses were interviewed. In the end, he decided that marriage between the two youngsters was no less bad than the alternatives and allowed the marrige. In conclusion, child bride stuff in the U.S. is without a doubt, a difficult procedure and if money is even suspected, it simply isn’t going to happen. Of course, I assume the free and legal judicial process and I most clearly understand that that is not always the case. However, to my knowledge, anywhere in the U.S., it does not happen.
However, at age 15 or 16, depending on the jurisdiction, only parental consent is required. Another issue altogether.
