California bans child marriage, setting 18 as minimum age from 1 January 2027

Centre · 2California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed legislation banning child marriage, setting 18 as the minimum age to marry. 1 2 Mixed · 2The law takes effect on 1 January 2027. 3 4 Centre · 1The Times of India identifies the measure as Assembly Bill 1267, authored by Democratic Assemblywoman Gail Pellerin, and says it repeals provisions allowing minors to marry with parental consent and court approval; it says the bill was sponsored by Unchained at Last and the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls. 3

Right · 1Newsom called it a "long overdue measure to protect young Californians and minors" and signed it alongside Courtney Stodden, who married actor Doug Hutchinson at 16; the BBC, Newsweek and the Mirror give his age as 50, while the Times of India and the Daily Mail say 51. 5 Centre · 2Stodden called it a "victory" and vowed to keep campaigning until children are protected from marriage in all 50 states; the Times of India adds that she now wants to focus on Nevada, where she married. 1 3 Right · 1The Daily Mail adds that Stodden, now 32, posted that she "spent years wishing someone had protected the little girl i used to be" and thanked Unchained At Last; it says her mother approved the 2011 marriage, which ended in 2020, and that Stodden has since called Hutchinson a "predator" and alleged grooming, which he has called "false malicious and egregious allegations". 5

Centre · 3Previously California had no legal minimum age: children could marry with parental consent and a judge's approval, and there was no mechanism for under-18s to seek a divorce. Newsweek and the Mirror say California was one of only three states with no minimum, alongside New Mexico and Mississippi per the Mirror. 1 4 2 Centre · 3Advocacy group Unchained At Last estimated about 9,000 girls were married each year in California, almost all to adult men; Newsweek cites its analysis of 2021 Census data showing over 8,000 California children, mostly girls, reporting being married within the previous year, and the Times of India cites Global Hope 365's figure of around 35,000 minor marriages from 2000 to 2021. 1 2 3 Centre · 2California is the 18th state to ban the practice since 2018; it remains legal in 32 states, some with minimum ages below 18 under specific conditions. 3 1

Mixed · 2Survivors including Brittany Bee and Sara Tasneen, who lobbied for years, welcomed the law. 1 4 Mixed · 2Earlier attempts at a full ban met opposition from groups including Planned Parenthood and the ACLU, who raised concerns about minors' reproductive autonomy and healthcare access; a 2018 law instead added safeguards such as judicial or Family Court Services checks for coercion and abuse. Newsweek says Planned Parenthood took a neutral position in 2026, removing a major source of opposition. 2 4 Centre · 1Newsweek adds that Oklahoma became the 17th state to ban child marriage earlier this year, with its ban taking effect on 1 November. 2

Left · 1NPR also covered the signing, with a piece on the global outlook for child marriage bans and whether such bans prove effective. 6