California has outlawed child marriage, joining 17 other US states where the taboo practice is also banned.<\/p>\n
Under past state law, minors of any age could obtain a court order for marriage with the consent of their parents.<\/p>\n
Assembly bill 1267, which governor Gavin Newsom signed<\/a> on Wednesday, prohibits minors from being issued a marriage license or establishing a domestic partnership (an arrangement that provides spousal protections). The law has no exceptions.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a long overdue measure to protect young Californians and minors. Today, California kids are safer than ever before,\u201d Newsom said in a statement.<\/p>\n He was joined on Wednesday by activist Courtney Stodden, who was thrust into the public eye in 2011 when at 16 she married 51-year-old actor Doug Hutchison in Las Vegas, a union she has since reflected on with deep regret<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cGovernor Newsom\u2019s action today made clear to me and to survivors of child marriage everywhere that we should never have been expected to carry this burden,\u201d Stodden said in a statement. \u201cI\u2019m deeply grateful to Unchained At Last and every survivor who fought to make this possible \u2013 California is a victory, but I\u2019m not stopping here. I will keep fighting until children are protected from marriage in all 50 states.\u201d<\/p>\n Unchained at Last, the advocacy group that pushed for the legislation, says 9,000 children are married in California every year.<\/p>\n