Missouri is the Destination for Child Weddings

[d_r]

4. There's been a lot of media attention

to this in the last few weeks due to state bills in Kentucky and Tennessee going down after being opposed by evangelical groups. My take on the response has been that folks are dismayed by the evangelicals supporting child marriage, and their hypocrisy in condemning Islam for it and for being against gay marriage and turning around and saying that the state shouldn't be able to limit definitions of marriage.

But I think what a lot of people are missing is how the growth of evangelical fervor against abortion since the 1970s plays in this. Having a teenage daughter with a child has gone from a stigma to a badge of honor. What used to be a situation that drew embarrassment and shame has become one of pride, as the grand parents demonstrate "see how against abortion I am? It will be a hard life for her, but she has to live with her decisions."

Nevermind that simply teaching the teens to use birth control would prevent the pregnancy in the first place (that would be condoning teen age sex; forcing your daughter to have the child and get marriage is not condoning teen sex, in their view, it is accepting responsibility for the sin and being punished).

In my opinion, that is why these groups oppose these laws preventing child marriage.