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For Sale: Bride, $29,995... Age 14
By: Faith Schwartz|Published: September 19, 2007 2:13 PM
Topics: Marriage & Family, Religion & Society


Too pricey? Would $19,995 be more affordable? No matter what your financial state, there's sure to be a bride available for any eligible man out there, just browse through the options at Marry Our Daughter.com. You're likely to find exactly what you're looking for... and so young too!

Think it's a hoax? You'd be right. But the 60 million site visitors who browsed through the pages of eligible bachlorettes didn't know the truth until this past Sunday. Perhaps there's a market for American child brides. Who knew?!

The controversial site caused quite an uproar in the blog community. Yet the purpose of the site is remunerative: to call attention to a very real problem with state marriage laws. Indeed, as Newsweek and the NY Times pointed out, nothing about the child bride website is illegal. Shouldn't that disturb us?

Marriage law loopholes have been popping up in the news quite a bit lately: first with the enactment of Arkansas' blooper of a law back in August, and more recently with Colorado's sad tale of a child bride. And sadly these aren't the only two states with problematic laws.


Comments:

Actually, Michelle, if you're telling the truth, your boyfriend is breaking the law. Your IP address indicates that you live in an area where the age of consent is sixteen. I'm sorry, but it doesn't sound as if either of you is behaving maturely.
Posted By: Gina Dalfonzo on November 14, 2008 4:55 PM
Michelle, your remark, "I am very mature for my age" buttresses the principle that "the exception proves the rule."
Posted By: Rolley Haggard on November 14, 2008 4:32 PM
I am, myself, a 14 year old girl that already has three children by the man I love (who is now 22). I have always hated that our government has the ability to say when someone is old enough to be able to handle the responsibility. I am very mature for my age, and all the children are all healthy and taken care of. My boyfriend (we are not allowed to marry officially) is working two steady jobs, and is succeeding in school towards getting his PhD. When I was "with" him for my first time at age 11, we were in love, and I knew exactly what I was getting into, what the risks were. I am perfectly happy with my decision.
Posted By: Michelle on November 14, 2008 3:48 PM
My late wife and I were married when she was 14, five years later we had our first child. The relaxing feeling and security of being married raised my wife's highschool grades while increasing my college grades. We had a good life together plus 7 children. Marring early did not hurt either one of use it made us closer together and happier.
Posted By: Mike on November 18, 2007 10:21 PM
Here in Canada the age of consent is 14, but you can not get married until 18 without parental consent.
Posted By: Rose on September 28, 2007 12:18 PM
Labrialumn, What do you mean by "without the benefit of clergy"? Would lowering or raising the marriage age really do any good in a culture that replaced "death do us part" marriage with "as long as it is mutually beneficial and convenient" marriage? I've heard several argue that given the earlier age of sexual activity it would be better to lower the age for marriage so that such adolescent sex could take place in the bounds of marriage. HA! I can't help wonder who's conscience that will soothe. And my guess is that we'd see divorce rates climb at the same rate of marriages. What do you think?
Posted By: Faith on September 20, 2007 5:52 PM
Another point; a majority of evangelical girls that age are having sex - without the benefit of clergy. That is better? Apparently, evangelical youth are having sex more often and sooner than non-Christian youth, and the average age of loss of virginity for non-Christian youth is 15. One might also meditate on the changes in parenting from when those laws were written, through to today, that resulted in those 14-year-olds being old enough to marry, and ours not being. And even Laura Ingalls married but two years older than that, and was already a school teacher at the time. I'm not arguing for selling brides or for 14 year-old brides. Just wondering, trying to stimulate some thought.
Posted By: labrialumn on September 20, 2007 4:54 PM
Isn't there an old Roman definition of barbarian as someone who imagines that his own customs are those of the whole world?
Posted By: labrialumn on September 20, 2007 12:43 PM
Something in the Biblical worldview to consider is: How old was Mary when she gave birth to Jesus? And how, if at all, might the cultural context of the times effect our application of that to marriages today?
Posted By: Brian on September 19, 2007 2:39 PM
The idea of these child brides disempowers women. No one should be allowed to be allowed to consent to sex or get married until they have are self-supporting, which would probably be age 24 or so. That would eliminate dependency, economic, running away from home reasons for doing marrying, and hopefully many unplanned pregnancies. It would also encourage parents to build their children’s independence. To allow marriage in case of pregnancy is foolish. The couple already demonstrated their inability to live responsibility, and delay gratification, and today few care if the parents are married before the child’s birth.
Posted By: Grizzly Mom on

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