Marriageable age: With parental/guardian's permission, as young as 13 in some places in America.

[Poll_Blind]

  With the alleged abuse of minors at the hands of a Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints group in Texas, I remembered something (oddly enough) from the documentary "Waco: Rules of Engagement" where the sheriff addresses charges of child sexual abuse by David Koresh. During his answer, if I recall correctly, he notes that it's important to remember that "Children as young as 12 can get married with parental consent." in his county.

  Kind of a jaw-dropper, isn't it?

  From a bit of Wiki-ing, it seems that 13 is the youngest marriageable age in the U.S. That distinction belongs to New Hampshire, interestingly enough. However, New Hampshire is certainly not the only place in America where what we think of as "children" may be married. For instance, I found that the great state of New York will also happily marry a 14 year-old under certain circumstances. I invite you to have a look at the Wiki page on Marriageable age to learn more about marriage laws in your state.

  Many states are adopting more detailed versions of their marriage laws which stipulate, for instance, that marriage at such a young age may not be to a party more than X years older. But, typically these young marriages occur in strongly religious communities which follow what might be euphemistically described as "older ways", and are not often brought to the general public's attention.

  The variance between what we expect the law to be vs. what it actually is doesn't come to light unless there are cases like this in the media spotlight.

  If you find these laws repugnant, do something about them:

  Contact your state legislators and let them know how you feel.

PB