NH Raises Marriage Age To 16 From 13 After Girl Scout's Plea

CONCORD, NH — New Hampshire no longer has the dubious distinction of allowing 13-year-old girls to marry. Governor Chris Sununu on Monday signed a new law that raises the marriage age for girls and boys to 16. The previous longstanding law allowed 13-year-old girls and 14-year-old boys to marry.

"Virtually everyone agrees that the marriage of a 13-year-old child is unconscionable, and now our laws will reflect that," Sununu said in a statement. Up until Monday, the state's 13-year-old threshold was the lowest lawful marriage age in the country.

The new law was championed by Cassie Levesque, a former Girl Scout from Barrington who reached out to her state representative, Democrat Jackie Cilley. Cilley sponsored the new marriage age bill.

“The thanks really goes out to Cassie to make this happen," Sununu said Monday as he signed the new law, according to the Concord Monitor. "This is just one of those great examples of the power of New Hampshire citizens."

Cilley is retiring this year and Levesque, 19, is running for her seat, according to the Monitor.

“I want to do a lot more," Levesque told the Monitor. "I want to bring bills like the child marriage (bill)."

New Hampshire now joins Vermont in establishing a minimum marriage age of 16.

Alaska, which allows 14-year-olds to marry, now has the lowest lawful marriage age in the country, though lawmakers are planning to raise it to 16.

More than a dozen states have no laws regarding marriage age.

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