Ohio Lawmakers Urged to Ban Child Marriage

Survivor testimony fuels bipartisan effort to close legal loophole allowing minors to wed

Apr. 8, 2026 at 4:40pm

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Senate Bill 341 and House Bill 670 would set 18 as the minimum age for marriage in Ohio, eliminating a current exception that allows 17-year-olds to marry with parental consent and court approval. Survivors of child marriage have testified about the abuse, exploitation, and lack of legal protections they faced, fueling a bipartisan push to outlaw the practice.

Why it matters

Child marriage has been recognized as a human rights abuse, with research showing high rates of physical, sexual, emotional, and financial abuse among those married as minors. Allowing child marriage can also mask coercion and human trafficking. Closing Ohio's legal loophole would align the state with 16 others that have banned child marriage with no exceptions.

The details

The identical bills, SB 341 and HB 670, would repeal state law provisions that currently allow 17-year-olds to marry a partner no more than four years older with juvenile court approval and parental consent. This exception stems from a 2019 law that sought to tighten the previously unspecified rules on child marriage, although it failed to do away with the act altogether. Survivor testimony has detailed experiences of abuse, isolation, and lack of legal protections faced by those married as minors in Ohio.

  • SB 341 and HB 670 have been introduced in the current legislative session.
  • SB 341 has received a second hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee in late March 2026.
  • HB 670 has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee but has not yet received a hearing.

The players

Senate Bill 341

A bill that would set 18 as the minimum age for marriage in Ohio, eliminating the current exception that allows 17-year-olds to marry with parental consent and court approval.

House Bill 670

An identical bill to SB 341 that would also set 18 as the minimum age for marriage in Ohio.

Becca Powell

Director of advocacy and outreach for Unchained at Last, a group that has provided data showing 53 minors were married in Ohio between 2020 and 2024 under the current law.

Stephanie Lowry

A survivor who testified about being forced into marriage at 16 after becoming pregnant, facing abuse and financial hardship as a result.

Elizabeth Sutton

A survivor who was married at 16 by her mother and stepfather, taken overseas, and had her passport taken away.

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What they’re saying

“A pregnant minor needs her parents' support to finish school and navigate motherhood, not a marriage certificate that fast-tracks her into potential violence and poverty.”

— Stephanie Lowry, Survivor

“When that marriage license is approved, you are sentencing that child bride to a life of sexual servitude and abuse, or worse. She will have no right to object, to ask for help, to file for divorce, or to file rape or assault charges.”

— Dana VonAllman, Survivor

“All this legislation does is get rid of the loophole that we have right now. For the people that this bill does impact, it will be life-changing.”

— Sen. William DeMora, Bill Sponsor

What’s next

If passed, SB 341 and HB 670 would align Ohio with 16 other states that have already banned child marriage with no exceptions.

The takeaway

Survivor testimony has exposed the horrors of child marriage in Ohio, including high rates of abuse, exploitation, and lack of legal protections. Closing the state's legal loophole would be a significant step in preventing these harms and aligning Ohio with national efforts to outlaw the practice.