Thread by @CarisaCollins

Child Marriage & Faith: While #wv law has NO minimum age for marriage, resulting in kids as young as 14 being married recently, #ChildMarriage is banned by many religious communities.

Result? Civil WV marriages that won’t be recognized by church. 🧵

Here are just a few faiths that already ban marriage below either 16 or 18 years old:

Roman Catholic Church
Mormon Church (LDS)
United Methodist

Many other faiths or leaders in church will strongly discourage or counsel against marriage before 18. Some will use their discretion to refuse to perform marriages they believe are against church morals.

This issue is not just a state issue, but one that touches deeply to the heart of building solid families including those within various faiths.

Kudos to those churches who have already taken a stand to protect children from abuse. @wvlegislature , let’s pass HB3018 & SB158!